Til Death Do Us Part
by Jade Catseye
Summary: AU. Kagome hates Inuyasha. Inuyasha hates Kagome. What happens when the sexy playboy and fiery schoolgirl are forced to undergo holy matrimony? InuKag Complete
1. The Call

**Disclaimer**: I'm poor. So please don't sue me because I don't own Inuyasha. :smirks: Well not yet anyway.

**Summary**: AU. Kagome hates Inuyasha. Inuyasha hates Kagome. What happens when the sexy playboy and fiery schoolgirl are forced to undergo holy matrimony? Will past issues hinder any possibilities of love occurring a second time?

* * *

**The Call**

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Kagome yawned stretched out on the beach, soaking in the rays of the afternoon sun. "It's summer. We have no jobs. We are officially graduates of high school as of yesterday. And we have absolutely nothing to do."

"I was thinking that after we go to Miami for a couple of days, we could go skiing in the Swiss Alps," Sango suggested stirring her raspberry iced tea with her index finger, "My grandfather has a lodge up there we could stay in."

"But won't he say something about a bunch of teenagers crashing there unannounced?" Ayame inquired, giving her a sidelong glance from overtop of her magazine.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," Sango replied smiling slyly. "Besides, he never goes up there anyway. And it'll be a chance for us to enjoy our womanhood before we go off to college."

Kagome groaned, dragging her fingers through her hair in agitation. "Please don't mention that word to me. I'm not in the mood to hear about more school, especially when I'm relaxing."

"No need to fret Kag, you could always bring Kouga along for the ride," Sango proposed grinning, her eyebrows waggling suggestively.

Kagome smiled at the name of her long time boyfriend. "I guess I could."

Ayame averted her gaze to the ocean, not wanting them to notice the pain that flashed through her eyes. "So when do you two plan on getting married?" she asked casually.

She shrugged, masking her excitement by means of indifference. "Whenever he asks I suppose. And I have a feeling it will be soon. He's been dropping a lot of hints lately."

"Well its about damn time. You two have been together for how many years?"

"Three years, five months, and twenty two days," Kagome replied proudly.

"I wish I could have a boyfriend that would last that long," Ayame said wistfully, envisioning her long time crush by her side. She shook thoughts of Kouga from her thoughts. _'No, he's never looked at me the way he looks at Kagome.' she thought sadly._ _And it would be wrong to even think of him as mine when they obviously love each other so much._'

"Well if you stop being so bossy and demanding all of the time I bet you could hook a fine man, err, …youkai," Sango teased childishly licking out her tongue, playfully mocking the girl's misfortune.

Ayame bared her fangs, her emerald green eyes flashing with irritation. "It's not my fault there are no guys out there that can meet my standards."

"You mean there are no guys out there willing to get their heads bitten off every time they do something wrong," Kagome translated with a grin.

She and Sango laughed as Ayame growled, muttering about weak and stupid men were under her breath.

Their giggles were cut short when the 'Milkshake' song rang from Kagome's purse. A little more than somewhat annoyed that someone was intruding upon her relaxing excursion, she retrieved her cell phone and answered it. "Yes?"

Her friends watched as her face converged from annoyed to anxious and concerned within a matter of seconds.

"What's wrong?" they both asked simultaneously as Kagome closed the phone and tucked it back into her purse.

"It's my father," she replied standing up, a hint of worry tingeing her words. "He needs me at home right away and won't tell me what's going on."

"I hope it's nothing too serious," Ayame said as she gathered her things.

"Whatever it is it sounds urgent." Kagome put her towel and purse into her bag. "I'll see you guys later. Call me and we'll talk more about the trip."

* * *

"Inuyasha."

The silver haired hanyou ignored the intruder and continued necking on…he couldn't remember the chick's name, but he'd be lying if he'd said she didn't taste good. "Go away, can't you see that I'm busy," he growled and grazed his fangs across her neck slowly, eliciting a moan from the blonde that sat in his lap.

"Inuyasha," Miroku repeated urgently, irritation seeping into his tone. "Your father wishes to speak with you as soon as possible."

"Your point?" He trailed a claw down her neckline and began to toy with the buttons on her blouse, giving her a taste of what was to come in due time.

"He says it's important. It's about the company." Miroku smirked in satisfaction when the hanyou suddenly froze. "Well whenever you're done here, you will be able to find your father at the Higurashi estate."

Inuyasha bristled at the name that had been a constant pain in his ass since day one, his golden eyes narrowing in disdain. He cursed and came to his feet abruptly, disregarding the girl had been previously occupying his lap and who landed in an unceremonious heap on the ground. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"What the hell is wrong with you!" the girl yelled jumping to her feet and straightening her clothes, her face twisted in a mask of fury. "You're just going to take off and leave me here?"

"Obviously," he answered with a sardonic upturning of the lips and smoothed the wrinkles out of his clothes. "Come on Bouzu, let's get this over with." They began to walk back toward the mansion.

"Hello? How am I going to get home?" the girl demanded angrily while she stalked behind them.

"Walk for all I care," Inuyasha snorted over his shoulder. "I didn't drive you here, therefore I don't have to take your ass back from wherever you came from. Just be gone by the time I get back."

"Inuyasha, must you be so vulgar with all of the ladies you meet?" Miroku questioned, his brow furrowing in displeasure at the thought of letting a beautiful young woman wander the streets all alone.

"If you're so interested in her, why don't you take her home," the hanyou suggested waving them both off as they entered the garage.

Miroku sighed in exasperation as his long time friend hopped into his red Ferrari. Every since they were children he had always been covering Inuyasha's ass, whether it be by lying to his parents on why they had out so late or making sure that they returned home safely after drinking himself into a stupor or consoling the heartbroken ladies that showed up begging at his doorstep for him to take them back. Of course, comforting beautiful women in their time of need wasn't a bad think, he just wasn't much for leftovers, especially lovesick leftovers from Inuyasha.

The loud sound of an engine revving up interrupted Miroku's musings. "Why the hell am I going to their place anyway? I thought they were the enemy," the hanyou said overtop of the noise from his engine.

"I don't know. Your father is already there waiting for your arrival."

"Yeah whatever. You just make sure Tisha, Tasha-"

"Monica!" she snapped.

He shrugged. "Just make sure she gets to wherever she's supposed to be." And with that, he shifted the car to drive and barreled out of the enormous garage, leaving a pissed off woman and an exasperated monk in his dust.

* * *

_'Where is everybody?_' Kagome thought as she walked through the deserted halls of her home. The usual hustle and bustle of the normally loud household was at a standstill. No maids, no butlers, not even her maddening little brother were around. _'Whatever it is my father has to tell me must be important.'_ Anxious now, Kagome quickened her pace to the library, which was where her parent's meetings and conferences were usually held.

The doors to the library were open when she stepped in, a group of familiar faces, faces she hadn't seen in a long time, sat in the chairs around her father's desk. She recognized Takeda Inutaisho and his mate Takeda Megumi, who were both the co-owners of Takeda Industries, one of the most influential and proverbial technological corporations in the world next to Higurashi Corporations. Seated beside them was his eldest son Sesshoumaru whom she hadn't seen since she was smaller and an unfamiliar, yet pleasant looking woman sitting right next to him.

"Dad, what's going on?" she inquired as she made her way to his desk, taking note of his pale skin and smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and immediately assumed the worse. "Are you ok?"

Ryo gestured for her to take a seat, his fake smile still in place. "Hey there, hime. Everything is fine. Well, is going to be fine," he rambled on.

_'He looks exhausted. But why?_' Kagome frowned. "You wouldn't look like crap if everything was fine."

He held up his hand. "First greet our guests."

Kagome smiled sheepishly and felt immediately self conscious of her appearance. Here she was dressed in a tank top and short shorts and flip flops while everyone else was dressed in casual attire. She bowed respectfully to the occupants of the room as they stood. "It's good to see you all again."

"Hello Kagome-chan. You've turned into such a beautiful young woman," Megumi said smiling, and kissed her on both cheeks.

"Well you've certainly grown since the last time I saw you," Inutaisho commented grin, though seeming a bit ruffled himself. "What happened to the shy little girl I to know?"

"I ask myself the same question," Ryo responded wistfully. "In which comes to the reason that we are all here-"

"Father! What the hell is going on?"

Kagome's back stiffened and her eyes narrowed when she heard a familiar and oh so arrogant demand from the newcomer who had just barged into the room. She turned slowly, hoping, praying, wishing, it wasn't who she thought it was. Inwardly crossing her fingers, her gaze caught sight of his. A flash of recognition, surprise, and direct hatred passed through each other's eyes when their gazes locked on to one another.

"You!" they screamed at the same time.

"What are you doing here wench!" he growled furiously to cover up for the shock he felt at seeing her after four years of no contact and tried to ignore the turbulent feelings that had arisen with her sudden appearance in his life again.

"What do you mean what am I doing here! I live here moron!" Kagome shot back with equal intensity, who also was trying to deal with similar tumultuous emotions at his sudden and unexpected arrival. Unwanted memories of the past that she had long since rid herself of began ascending to the surface of her consciousness.

Ryo put his face in his hands and groaned. It was just like old times. He would've thought that his 18 year old daughter and his companion's 19 year old son would have grown out of their hatred for each other. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

End.

* * *

(for now of course) 


	2. The Proposal

**Disclaimer**: I don't own that cute dog-eared hanyou or any of the other characters of Inuyasha.

**AN**: Thanks again to the my reviewers. And because I'm in such a good mood, and because I have no school tomorrow, I updated sooner.

* * *

The Proposal

* * *

Kagome reverted her enraged gaze to her father. "Dad, what is going on here?"

"That's what I like to know," Inuyasha glared at this parents.

"Why don't you two have a seat," Kagome's mother suggested walking into the library. "Nothing will be accomplished with you two clawing at each other's throat," Hitomi added, directing her frown towards her daughter. "Kagome, I thought I taught you better this. You do realize that there are guests in our presence."

"And Inuyasha," Megumi said scowling at her son, "I know you have anger management problems because of your mixed blood, but that doesn't justify your ill mannered behavior."

Inutaisho cleared his throat as the hanyou and girl sat down stiffly in the remaining two chairs that surrounded the oak desk, throwing an occasional glare at each other. "Now then, since everyone is present, we can begin." He ran a claw through his thick mane of snow white hair. "As you all know Takeda Industries and Higurashi Corporations have been competitors since they both started out 20 years ago. However our rivalry ends here today. We find that both of our companies would benefit more if we merged our companies to form one giant empire. But due to the fact that there are certain hostilities between our businesses, external and internal thatwe need to…" He trailed off and looked at Ryo to continue.

"We need to establish a strong foundation or rather a strong tie to solidify our companies. And due to the fact that most of our employees aren't too keen on transferring loyalty to a former rival corporation, we will need both Kagome and Inuyasha to rectify the problem by joining in holy matrimony. By this, the employees will accept on some level this new structural reformation and will eradicate some of the prejudice that will come with the merger."

Kagome and Inuyasha didn't say anything for a moment as the words processed in their minds.

Everyone else waited in silence. They knew what consequences would come from a failed merger. Both companies would end up losing a lot of money as well as consumers and employees with the possibility of going bankrupt.

"You're kidding right?" Kagome was the first to speak up. "This is one big practical joke. Haha, very funny. You really had me going there for a minute."

Ryo shook his head. "I'm afraid this isn't a joke Kagome. We've already talked this over with the board and the consensus is unanimous. All we need is you two to agree to the marriage and then we'll be ready to commence with the upbringing of the new corporation."

"You can't expect me to marry her!" Inuyasha exclaimed jumping to his feet in outrage, his golden eyes ablaze with fury. "I have a image to uphold! What about all of my women? I'm too damn young to get married! And to her of all people!" He glared at Kagome and pointed. "You seriously can't expect me to get married that ugly, uptight wench! Not after the hell she put me through."

"Who are you calling wench you arrogant two-faced bastard!" she screamed at him. It was like history was repeating itself and that was the last thing that she needed at this point in her life, especially when everything was beginning to come together so nicely. "I'd rather take a stake to the heart than be bound to you for the rest of my existence jerk! And you're the one who made my life a living hell, not the other way around!"

"That's enough you two!" Hitomi snapped. "Would you please refrain from yelling at each other, or at leastfor the duration of this meeting." She lowered her voice. "If the merger is to be successful, both parties need to be in harmony and in accord with one another."

Everyone in the room seriously doubted that would be happening any time soon.

Inuyasha put a leash on the inner fury that threatened to bowl over within him. Once his breathing controlled and the steam was pouring out of his ears was reduced to a minimum, he asked in a barely restrained voice, "Why can't Sesshoumaru marry her?"

The stoic taiyoukai, who had been sitting silently in the furthest chair to the left and had yet to say anything about the matter at hand, snorted lightly. "This Sesshoumaru, already has a business that has branched out from the central company and is doing fine on its own. And," he glanced at his younger half sibling with distaste, "I believe that having more than one mate is absolutely absurd."

Kagome had to lift a brow at this. Sesshoumaru with a mate? She thought she would never see the day. '_So that is who that young woman is._' What surprised her the most was the fact that she was human. When they were all younger and had been forced to attend little balls and summits to promote their industries, Sesshoumaru had always claimed that he would mate a female youkai that was the equivalent of himself and would never stoop so low as to take a human mate.

Kagome smirked. The woman had to have ball of steel to put up with a youkai like him, but then again, so did any woman who mated with one of the males in the inuyoukai clan.

"So? How about it you two? Are you willing to give it a go?" Inutaisho asked hopefully.

"No!" they screamed in unison.

Megumi sighed. About the only thing they seemed to agree on was not getting married. "It's a shame that you two can't get along together. Both of you made such a cute little couple."

Hope sparked in Kagome's eyes. "So we don't have to go through with this?"

"Actually you don't get a choice in the matter," Ryo responded, wincing slightly at the fire building within his daughter's eyes. "It has been decided for you. The wedding date has already been planned for two weeks from now. I know its short notice but we need to get this new company on its feet as soon as possible."

"Dad, you do realize that Kouga is my boyfriend and that he plans on marrying me in the near future."

"Oh, Kagome." Hitomi stood and put a comforting arm around her daughter's shoulder. "I'm sure Kouga will be complete understanding."

"You're not marrying dog crap! " Kouga practically screamed after Kagome told him over the phone later that night about the events that had transpired.

Kagome sighed. "It appears I don't have a say in the matter. My parents and his parents have already made up their minds. They've got the wedding date planned two weeks from now."

She flinched as he began yelling obscenities in her ear. "I'm going to kill that lousy bastard! Who the hell does he think he is trying to steal my woman away from me! And you can't seriously consider marrying that idiot after all that shit he put you through!"

Kagome bit the inside of her cheek, his words summoning the events that took place in what seemed like a lifetime ago. She had long ago shoved those painful memories of pain and betrayal to the back of her mind and locked them away under lock and key. She had hoped the day would never come when she would have to face the demons of her past, or more particularly a certain half demon whose name grated on her nerves even now after all that time had passed. "If its any consolation to you, I hate this arrangement as much as you do. Probably more."

"Wait until the next time we meet," he growled darkly, "I'm gonna rip his damn jaw out."

"I don't think that's going to solve anything."

"I know but it'll make me feel better."

"It probably will."

"Kagome," Kouga began, the hardness in his voice melting away, "I love you, and I don't want to lose you to some that won't appreciate you for who you are. I wanted to be the one to mark you as mine. I wanted you to bare my pups. I wanted you to be by my side forever."

She felt tears prick her eyes. He was so sweet. "Kouga, I want us to be all of those things together as well." Anything would be better than spending the rest of her life with a hanyou she despised and hated for all she was worth.

"Then convince your parents that this is a bad idea. Do something. Don't sit back and let them control your life," he murmured, his voice laced with forlornness and misery.

"I'll try, but they have their minds set on this arrangement."

"Do what you can. If they still say no, my pack and I will drop by the mutt's place and pay him a little visit."

"Kouga don't do anything stupid."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he lied, the wheels in his mind already turning with different ways to decapitate the hanyou's head. "Goodbye love."

"Kouga I'm serious-" Kagome stopped once noticing that she was talking to the dial tone. "Men," she muttered and put the phone back in its cradle. Now all she had to do was seek out her mother and father and beg them to reconsider.

"Kagome?" She glanced at the door at the sound of her mother's voice. "Can we talk?"

"What is there to talk about?" Kagome questioned bitterly. "It seems that I have no say in what goes on in my life."

Hitomi grimaced and entered her daughter's sanctuary. "I know how you feel Kagome-"

"No, you have no idea how it feels!" Kagome screamed jumping to her feet. "You don't know what it feels like to have parents who are always controlling your actions and telling you what you can and cannot do! I have a life Mom! I had planned on going to college in another country and marrying my high school sweetheart. But thanks to you, I can do none of the above."

"Sit down, Kagome," Hitomi ordered softly albeit firmly as she took a seat on her bed.

"I'd rather stand," she growled angrily and began to pace.

"Don't be angry with us. This marriage and merger will bring profit to the company and will end the long-standing rivalry between our families. Can't you see that?"

"But I believe a good, solid marriage is based upon love and trust Mom. Inuyasha and I have used to have it, but those days are over and done with. We hate each other whereas Kouga and I....have strong feelings about each other," she explained, discreetly excluding the 'L' word since things were already complicated as it were.

"You're young Kagome and you need to realize that this puppy love you and Kouga have for each other will fade." Hitomi exhaled. "Did you know that your father and I were married through an arrangement by our parents as well?"

Kagome blinked in surprise. This she hadn't known. "You did? You never told me before."

"Well we were. And in the beginning we hated each other, just as you and Inuyasha do now. But as our marriage progressed and our bond began to grow, I realized just how much I loved him."

Kagome stopped her pacing and sat down beside her. It was hard to believe that her mother and father, who had more love for each other than anyone she knew, at one point in their lives detested each others very presence. "That doesn't mean that Inuyasha and I will have the same outcome," she muttered crossing her arms, still partially ticked off.

Hitomi chuckled. "Believe me Kagome, you two will come to your senses soon enough and perhaps will be able to rekindle what was once lost."

With teeth clenched, Kagome averted her gaze to the headboard of her bed, unable to meet the hopeful gaze of her mother. Her parents, or his, didn't know what transpired back then, the things that he did to her to humiliate her and betray the trust it took so long for her to build up to him. It wasn't fair for her to have to go through all of that drama again, not after it took so long for her to forget it all.

* * *

Inuyasha howled in rage as he picked up a nearby lamp and hurled it at the wall.

Miroku winced at the sound of the three thousand dollar Versace lamp shattering into a million pieces. "Inuyasha, will you please calm down. No good will come from your wild ranting and uncouth behavior."

"Well it makes me feel a hell of a lot better." The pissed hanyou continued to vandalize the objects of his domain in an effort to rid himself of the inner turmoil that bubbled within. "How dare they do this to me!" He picked up and threw the 54 inch flat screen TV out of the window. "They can't tell me what I can and cannot do! I'm an adult!"

"An adult that still lives with his parents," Miroku pointed out, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps this marriage won't be so bad. A sound relationship would do numbers to your character and moral standing."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" His fist connected with the mirror, sending shards of glass flying in every direction.

"It means, Inuyasha, that your temperament and loathsome ways could be deterred with the help of a suitable mate," Miroku responded sidestepping the pieces of glass that lay all over the place.

"I don't need a mate, especially not that bitch! She continuously manages to make my life a living hell! I want nothing to do with her!" The hanyou began ripping at his sheets and pillows. "And why would I want a mate at 19! Fucking 19! These are supposed to good years of my life!"

"Come on Inuyasha. You know as well as I do that it would be best to leave the past in the past and move on with life. You two were young and stupid and things happen, sometimes not always for the best. But now, fate has presented you two with a second chance. A second chance to rectify the mistakes that were made in the past. Don't give up that chance just because of a simple grudge that you stubbornly refuse to put behind you."

"Its more than some simple grudge," he mumbled, his destructive state beginning to wear down at the monk's words.

"Tell me Inuyasha, why is it so hard for you to find a girl that you've been willing to stay with for more than a few days? And when was the last time you've enjoyed being in the presence of a girl that wasn't trying to get into your pants or trying to get their hands on your inheritance money?"

Inuyasha stopped tearing his pillow to shreds to ponder this. Come to think of it he had never had an innocent girlfriend who desired him for who he was and not what he had. All of his relationships had solely been based upon him fondling the girl's goodies or just having a good time or them trying to suck up to him in order to acquire his money and expensive gifts. He never trusted the women he dated and vowed never to fall in love again, not after what happened with _her_. Growling in frustration, the hanyou plopped down on what was left of his bed, and crossed his arms and legs. "So what's your point?"

"My point is that I think you should give this marriage a second thought. Maybe it won't be as bad as it seems. Just think about it. Forget about what happened in the past and just think about the possibilities of the future. Who knows, maybe you two will end up at least trusting each other again." '_And maybe you'll actually end up falling in love with her again_,' Miroku finished in his mind, inwardly grinning at his cunninngness.

"I seriously doubt that," he replied while his ears twitched in contemplation as he considered the possibilities. If he did take her as his wife, not mate, he could still be able see his other women since the human terminology as far as mates were concerned wasn't in the same league as youkai. With youkai mates, the couple would be linked together mentally and emotionally. Trust had to be the foundation of the relationship. Love had to be present. He could say none of the above for their nonexistent relationship.

"Just think about it," Miroku said exiting the war zone and closed the door behind him.

"Well?"

Miroku grinned. "No problem Takeda-sama. He's taking the proposal into serious consideration as of now."

Inutaisho chuckled and gave him an envelope containing what the boy had requested in exchange for the pep talk with his son. "Here you are Miroku. Spend it well."

* * *

End.

Review ppl! Wedding ceremony is next!


	3. The Ceremony

**Disclaime**r: I wish I did, but I don't.

**AN:** Gracias for the reviews people! Didn't know that this little fic would be so interesting but by the sound of your reviews you think otherwise.

* * *

The Ceremony

* * *

Kagome groaned and pulled the covers of over her head. A throbbing headache pulsed in the back of her head ominously. Her tongue felt like it had grown a thick coat of fur overnight and she felt a little more than slightly queasy. _'What in the hell..?_' Kagome thought coming to her senses drowsily. Blinking the blurriness in her vision away, she was vaguely aware that she, and about half a dozen of her other friends and bridesmaids, were all sprawled out in various places in the hotel room with her being on the couch.

Her best friends were among the few that were completely knocked out. Ayame was snoring loudly on top of the table, drool trickling down her chin in a steady stream and pooling beside her face. Sango lay upside down on the opposite end of the couch with legs flung across the backand arms sandwiching a bottle of some kind of liquor she had probably been drinking the night before. Rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands, she tried to piece together what had occurred the night before, though most of it was in a haze.

She remembered the past couple of weeks going by quickly, all of which was spent on preparing for the upcoming wedding ceremony. She remembered being pissed off and sulking every time someone even mentioned that intolerable hanyou's name and their joining together in holy matrimony. And then there was last night, the night before the wedding. She had been angry and frustrated and depressed, so Sango, Ayame, and the others decided to do cheer her up…by calling male strippers and buying enough alcohol to supply the entire hotel.

_'Of course_.' No wonder she was feeling like crap. After all, all of them had partied it out with sexy strangers and drank obscene amounts of liquor. Only Kagome had done so to get the wedding out of her mind and it hadn't seemed like a bad idea then.

A brisk knock on the door made her headache echo in response. She knew who was there even before Hitomi and Megumi stepped foot into the room. They blinked in surprise at seeing the bridesmaids and the bride still sleeping with the ceremony being only a couple of hours away. Kagome cowered behind her pillow in hopes that they wouldn't notice here, but knew it was useless when she felt her mother's eyes silently boring into the back of her skull.

"UP! UP! UP! Everybody up!" Megumi ordered right away, clapping her hands. "The ceremony will begin in less that three hours and you're all still sleeping? We have work to do here!"

With the exception of Kagome and her best friends, who were either too tired and hung over or just didn't care, everyone awoke suddenly from their slumber and slowly clambered to their feet, everybody feeling the result of a hard night of partying.

"Sango, Ayame, Kagome, this means you too," Hitomi said withhiding asmirk as she gently shook the girls from their positions. "You shouldn't have partied so hard knowing that you all had a wedding to attend today."

"Who are you? Where am I? What's goin' on?" Sango slurred disjointedly as she awoke, only to find herself in a strange place where girls were sprawled out all over the floor.

Ayame rolled off of the table, still half asleep, and fell to the floor with a loud thud. "I'm awake," she mumbled from her face down position in the carpet.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Kagome groaned as she swung her legs off the couch and to the floor. The queasiness she had felt in her stomach earlier had gradually turned to sick churning in her gut. She could feel the bile rise in her throat. This wasn't good.

"I do believe I said no alcoholic beverages at the bachlorette party," Hitomi said with a wry twist of the lips as she help her daughter come unsteadily to her feet.

This made Kagome grin and momentarily forget about her hungover state for the time being. "We didn't drink…a lot. I only had a couple of apple martinis…and a couple of daiquiris and then that guy brought over Pinot Noir," She giggled at the memory. "The fireman had a really nice ass…so did the police man. He gave me his number." More giggling. "Kouga's gonna kill me when I tell him that me n' the fireman gave each other body shots." She stopped giggling when a wave of nausea flooded her senses.

Hitomi sighed and had to remember that once she was young too. "Kagome, maybe you should go the bathroom and get yourself cleaned up." She wrinkled her nose at her daughter's horrendous breath. "And be sure to breath your teeth. Use my bathroom down the hall since yours is obviously overcrowded."

Kagome yawned. "Yes Mama. I'll be right back." On shaky legs, Kagome tottered out of the room and towards her mother's room. She frowned at her hazy mind. Now if only she could remember where it was.

* * *

"Would you hold still," Inutaisho barked at his son while attempting to adjust his bowtie.

"I look like a clown with this stupid thing," Inuyasha responded sullenly as he struggled to extricate himself from Sesshoumaru's tight grasp while his father tried fruitlessly to place the stupid bowtie on him.

"Inuyasha, you would like one without the accessory," Miroku remarked casually as he sipped his coffee.

"I don't know why you have to dress me!" Inuyasha snapped indignantly.

"Because dear brother," Sesshoumaru began, his words dripping with sarcasm, "obviously you can't seem to get on your tux without running away. And this Sesshoumaru doesn't feel like hunting you down and bringing you back here, again."

The hanyou growled menacingly baring his fangs at his so called family. They were supposed to be on his damn side. Where were the loyalty ties when you needed them? It was all his father's fault. It was his fault he had to get married to that stupid human. It was his fault that he had to wear this stupid tux. And it most definitely his fault that they didn't even get to have a damn bachelor party.

Inuyasha's hatred for his father soared to staggering heights at the memory of being forced to stay inside his room for the entire night. Inutaisho had said that he hadn't wanted him getting into more trouble with anymore females now that he was about to get married. Inuyasha had practically cried when he realized that there would be no half naked women and booze. So much for his bachelor party. But what made him even angrier was the fact that he could hear the females partying it out down the hall. While they were having the time of their lives, he was stuck in his room playing cards with Miroku. Talk about a fun night.

"There." Inutaisho thumped his shoulder, grinning wide at his achievement. "And your mother said I couldn't tie one of these things if my life depended on it."

Inuyasha shrugged his father's hand off of him as Sesshoumaru released his hold on him, then glared at the occupants of the room sourly. "I just want to let you all know that I hate each and every one of you."

"You say that now, just wait until your honeymoon," Miroku said with a suggestive undertone and alecherous grin.

"There's not going to be a honeymoon." _'Well with that wench anyways'_ Inuyasha added gleefully in his mind. He and the sexy French model, Clarice LeBeau, were going on a little trip to the Venice for a bit of sightseeing…amongst other things. Just because he was married didn't necessarily mean that he and the wench always had to be together. She could stay at home and knit and dust or whatever housewives do, and he would continue his usual routine of seducing beautiful women everywhere he went. He smirked. That would be the perfect marriage. She could stay out of his life, and he would stay out of hers.

"I'm going to take a walk," Inuyasha said exiting the room.

"Don't make me hunt you down again hanyou," Sesshoumaru growled softly, promises of death and dismay glinting in his cold, golden depths.

"I wouldn't dream of making you break another nail Fluffy," he replied sardonically, although he inwardly cringed at his brother's arctic glare. The guys should really learn to lighten up. Inuyasha stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. '_Now_' he thought heading in the direction of the ladies wing, '_all I have to do his make her see eye to eye with me. Then we can all be satisfied with this little arrangement._' So deep in thought was Inuyasha, he failed to see a blundering female staggering toward him drunkenly.

Kagome latched on to the first person she saw. "Excuse me could you show me where the bathroom is?" Her head felt as if it had been hit my a truck…several times, and the vomit she was trying to suppress threatened to unleash its disgusting self very soon.

"Get off of me freak!" Inuyasha growled, irritated that some drunken fool dared to cross his path when he was in such a foul mood, and was about to fling them somewhere when their eyes connected. "Kagome?" '_Jeez_,' he thought wrinkling his nose, '_if I have to wake up every morning for the rest of my life and look at this drool stained chin, messy haired, and bleary eyed woman, give me the arsenic now._'

Inuyasha tried shake her off of him but she had a death grip on the sleeve of his tux. "Listen wench, let me make myself entirely clear. I don't love you, you don't love me. This arrangement is solely for the benefit of our parents and their stupid companies. I don't want you hanging around me or get any crazy kind ideas about us. We are nothing to each other but associates." He stopped when her eyes began to glaze over. "Oi wench, are you even listening to me?"

* * *

Kagome managed a weak smile at the audience as they stood to their feet when she entered sanctuary. She felt seventy five percent better after puking all over Inuyasha. Her stomach didn't hurt as much and she had the satisfaction of seeing the priceless/horrified/pissed off face of the enraged hanyou after shethrew upall over his new five thousand dollar silk tux. She had half hoped that this would postpone, or even delay the wedding, but no. Her father just had to have an extra tux for him as if he had expected this sort of thing to occur.

The wedding march began to play through the pipes of an ancient organ. Ryo came up from behind her and held out his arm for his beloved daughter. "Kagome."

"Dad." She linked her arm with his and they started down the aisle.

"I just want to tell you how proud I am of you," he said smiling down at her, his little princess, who looked like beautiful angel from the Heavens dressed in her all white gown.

"Don't get all teary eyed on me. This only a business arrangement. Its not that serious. I don't know why we could just do this at the court."

Ryo sighed. "You know your mother. Everything has to be grand and elaborate. Besides, it is best that the employees from both companies attend so that they can establish some common ground and get to know one another. It is for the good of the future Higurashi-Takeda Incorporations."

Kagome's smile grew strained. '_For the good of the company, it is best for the company, the company needs you to do this…everything always has to revolve around the company. Screw the company. What about me?_' She felt like screaming and ripping off the dress and telling all these people to kiss her ass, but she maintained her composure for the sake of her parents dignity.

Up ahead she saw Sango, Ayame, and the other bridesmaids lined up across from the groom, who had his back turned toward the aisle, his best man, and the rest of the groomsmen.

Inuyasha's nose twitched when the familiar scent of jasmine teased his senses. He knew damn well whose alluring scent it belonged to. As much as he wanted to, he never could forget her sweet smell. His curiosity getting the best of him, Inuyasha slanted a quick glance in her direction. Blue connected with amber. Surprise flashed in his orbs when he saw her. She actually looked elegant and somewhat attractive in the dress and with her beautiful raven black hair twisted up in an intricate pinup atop her head. But the admiration was quickly squelched by hatred when he remembered what she had did to him two hours before. '_Always there to humiliate me, just like old times_,' he mused bitterly

Growling softly to himself, Inuyasha faced back toward the priest. He had wanted to kill the bitch for spewing that shit at him and would have had not Miroku been tailing him and held him back. He had spent an hour and a damn half in the tub trying to rid himself of the revolting stench. Inuyasha's nose twitched again. He could still smell traces of it, but at least it wasn't as strong as before. Dumb bitch.

Ryo kissed his daughter. "Good luck." He left her at the altar and returned to his place beside his wife, Souta, and father-in-law, who's snoring had gotten so loud Hitomi had to slap his bald head and tell him to wake up.

Kagome went up and stood beside her husband-to-be. Her back stiffened when he shot her the coldest of glares. She rolled her eyes and faced the priest, who had already begun his speech.

"Don't ignore me bitch," he hissed glaring daggers at her.

"I don't respond to ignorance," she hissed right back.

"Would you two shut up," Sango whispered.

They were quiet for a good five seconds before Inuyasha decided to speak again. "I'm going to kick your ass for puking all over me," he murmured darkly, venom tingeing his words though he kept a straight face.

"I said I was sorry, stupid," she replied out of the corner of her mouth.

"Well you're not forgiven."

"What do I have to do? Get down on my knees and beg?"

He snorted softly. "That would be a start."

Miroku cleared his throat.

Inuyasha's ears perked up. The priest had stopped speaking and was staring expectantly at him. "What?"

Kagome coughed to hide her snickers. Somebody hadn't been paying attention.

"Do you, Takeda Inuyasha, take Higurashi Kagome as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold in sickness and in health until death do you part?" the priest repeated unperturbed by his lack of attention.

_'Death, huh? Well that can be arranged'_. "I do," he lied while inwardly pondering the possibilities of the statement.

The priest turned to face Kagome. "And do you, Higurashi Kagome, take Takeda Inuyasha as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Kagome felt like crying. "I do," she lied.

"Are there any objections to why these two should not wed on this day?"

"I object!" All heads turned around to see a very pissed off wolf youkai enter the through the double doors.

"Kouga?" Kagome stared at him in surprise as he marched down the aisle determinedly. So he had come after her after all. He had been so angry and she had been so busy that these past few weeks they hadn't exchanged a single word with each other.

Inuyasha felt his hackles rise as unbidden anger rose. There was only one person who could invoke such strong feelings of fury within himself. "Kouga," he growled lowly, red flashing in his eyes as the wolf youkai entered the sanctuary with an air of arrogance that only he was able to pull off. That bastard was part of the reason why things the relationship between Kagome and himself was so strained as it was now.

"And the plot thickens," Sango muttered behind her.

Ayame's heartbeat quickened in her chest when she saw the wolf youkai stride up doggedly to the alter. But he wasn't looking at her. The apple of his eye was and always would be Kagome. She sighed and looked away. It was almost too much to bear, but she had bore it countless times seeing them together and she would continue to do so until she summoned up enough courage to tell him her true feeling about him.

Kouga knelt down in front of a flustered Kagome and took her delicate hand in his, his piercing cobalt eyes gazing into hers with love and passion. "Kagome, I can't let you get married to mutt face. I've loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you. Even when we were children I knew that we were meant to be. I'll always love you with all of my heart, which is why I can't allow you to mate with inukuro and be miserable for the rest of your life. I refuse to allow it."

"Oi wolf, what the hell is that supposed to mean!" Inuyasha snapped, his fangs bared at the palpable challenge. Even though he didn't want her, he wouldn't allow Kouga to take her away a second time.

Murmurs began to circulate within the audience as the suspense thickened. People began sitting up in their seats from their slouched positions, guessing itwouldn't be so boring after all.

Kouga ignored the outburst and continued to gaze into his beloved's eyes. "Kagome, become my mate, marry me, and let me take you far away from here. Away from dog breath, away from everything."

Inuyasha growled possessively, and yanked a surprised and flattered Kagome out of his grasp. "If you hadn't noticed wolf, your woman is getting married to me. Or were you just too stupid to notice this small detail?"

The wolf youkai flexed his claws as he stood to his feet, pent up rage boiling beneath his calm exterior. "It'd be wise for you to let go of my woman half breed, before my claws rip out your little balls and shove them down your throat."

Smirking, the hanyou pushed Kagome behind him and rolled up his sleeves. "You rip my balls out? Don't make me laugh asshole. I'll be doing the castrating here, or would be if you had anything to cut off."

Gaining her wits back, the bride darted from behind Inuyasha and stepped in front of the two fuming youkai. "Would you two grow up! Enough with this stupid cock fight."

"Get out of the way Kagome, I don't want you getting hurt," Kouga said reaching for her hand.

But Inuyasha, seeing his attempt, grabbed Kagome's hand and snatched her away once more before the wolf could come into physical contact with her. "You're the only one that's gonna be getting hurt wolf boy. So back off before I knock your fangs down your fuckingthroat."

Megumi punched her mate in the arm. "Stop staring and do something."

Inutaisho's face fell in disappointment. Hehad been looking forward to the fight. "Yes ma'am." He whistled for two of his big cousins to escort the wolf youkai out.

"That's it mutt, I've had enough of this talking. It's time for me kick your a-" Kouga came to an abrupt halt when two very big and very strong inuyoukai grabbed a hold of him and began pulling him toward the exit.

"Kagome, never forget that I will always love you! You will become my mate for all time's sake, my love!" Kouga yelled as they dragged him back down the aisle.

She bit her lip. She had half a mind to run down the aisle after Kouga and allow him to whisk her away from all of her responsibilities. He loved her, which was more than she could say for Inuyasha. And thoughshe didn'tlove him the way he loved her, she was positive that a life with Kouga would be better than with the hanyou that tore out her heart. .

"Keh, stupid wolf. Knew he didn't have the balls to challenge me," Inuyasha sneered, rollingdown his sleeves. He was most disappointed that he wouldn't be able to kick Kouga's sorry ass in front of all these people, especially in front of her.

Kagome glared at him. "I hate you Inuyasha," she said through clenched teeth. Why did he have to be such an jerk?

"Same here sweetie," he responded with a cynical grin.

The priest cleared his throat now that the problem was rectified. "Shall we continue?"

"Yes, please," Hitomi replied quickly before the bride and the groom could say anything. So much for the flawless wedding she had envisioned.

"The rings?" the priest asked.

Sango and Miroku both handed the bride and the groom the golden wedding bands.

"Take her hand in yours Takeda-san."

With an irritated scowl in place, Inuyasha reluctantly reached for Kagome's hand. A familiar jolt of electricity raced up their arm as soon as their skin made contact. Awkwardness passed between blue and amber. That wasn't supposed to happen.

"Repeat after me. With this ring I thee wed…"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes but did so. "With this ring I thee wed." He slipped the ring onto her fourth finger. It was ironic how he had imagined this scenario not too long ago, just with the love and trust factor incorporated into the ceremony that was obviously lacking at the moment.

Emotions flitted within Kagome as his claws gently scraped along her skin as put the ring on. _'I shouldn't be reacting to him like this'_ she inwardly seethed. '_I hate his guts._'

"…and with my body I thee honor," the hanyou repeated after the priest spoke once more, "and with all my worldly goods I thee endow." His molten gaze made her heart do a flip flop in her chest.

The priest turned to Kagome. "You will do the same Higurashi-san."

Inuyasha dropped her hand as she picked up his left. He felt his heartbeat quicken in his chest, liking the way her soft and nimble fingers glided down his skin as she placed the wedding band on his finger. It had been such a long time since he had felt her delicatetouch.

The melodic resonance of her voice sent shivers down his spine as she repeated after the priest. Inuyasha mentally slapped himself for thinking such thoughts. He hated her. He loathed her very presence. '_So why are all of these feelings of affection bombarding my senses? She is a liar and traitor and I refuse to be caught up in her little scheme again_.'

Kagome blinked at him in mild confusion as she dropped his hand.The impatience and sullenness in his eyes had gradually been overridden by warmth, then flashed with puzzlement, and had finally been replaced with abhorrence.Itcame as no shocker that she wasstillable to easily read his emotions, even when hethougth he was hiding his feelings for her. '_I guess old habits die hard._'

"…and so," the priest continued, "fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that you may so live together in this life, that in the world to come you may have life everlasting." He smiled at the hanyou. "I now pronounce you man…err, hanyou and wife. You may kiss the bride."

"Kiss!" he screamed jumping back incredulously, then whirled around to glare at his father. "You didn't say anything about kissing!"

Inutaisho shrugged casually. "It's a human thing."

Kagome rolled his eyes at his childishness. "Its not like I want to kiss you either. I don't know where your lips have been."

"Inuyasha just kiss Kagome so that we can head to the reception," Inutaisho commanded.

"Keh." He folded his arms and glared at the bride. "I'm not kissing the wench. The stinking wolf probably gave her fleas."

"Kouga doesn't have fleas!" Kagome yelled indignantly. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had them seeing as though you're the one who's been with a thousand different females!"

Inuyasha snarled at her, red flashing for a second time in the last ten minutes in his eyes. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!"

"What do you think it means stupid! You do the math!"

He uncrossed his arms and began to flex his claws and bared his fangs. "Don't make me kick your ass like I was going to do your wimpy boyfriend."

"I'd like to see you try jerk." She balled her fists and stared up at him defiantly.

Megumi signaled urgently for the old lady at the organ to begin playing again. As soon as the music started playing both Sango and Miroku began pushing the bride and groom down the aisle, who were still arguing and glowering at each other.

Hitomi sighed in relief and slouched wearily in the pew. "That was a nightmare."

Megumi, who was equally tired, rubbed her eyes. "At this rate I won't have any grandchildren until I'm a hundred."

"I need a drink," Ryo muttered, then took a silver flask from his inside pocket and took a good, long swig of the vodka.

"Didn't I tell you no drinking," Hitomi scolded her husband and snatched the flask out of his hand and had a swig herself. "Kami-sama, I'm going to be a damn drunk by the time the reception ends tonight."

"Well, we can only hope that those two don't kill each other in the limo ride before they reach the reception," Inutaisho mused darkly.

"They're mature, responsible adults. There is no doubt in my mind that…" Megumi trailed off. Lying was really never her forte. She couldn't seem to convince herself of her words.

End.

* * *

**AN**: Perhaps they'll make it to the reception….or perhaps not. Who knows. Maybe Inuyasha and Kagome will sort out their differences in the limo ride…or not. Stay tuned to see what happens people!

Review and tell me what ya think!


	4. The Reception

**Disclaimer**: You know the deal. I don't own Inuyasha, only in my dreams. ::sigh::

**AN**: Thanks so much for the reviews people! I'm loving the love from both and ! And I would've put up review responses but I'm so tired and I am swamped with homework. Hehe, I guess that's what happened when you have three AP classes. -- Anyway, I updated as soon as I could so here it is. Enjoy!

* * *

The Reception

* * *

"Get your claws off of me!" Inuyasha snapped as his father and brother tried to stuff him into the limo. "I don't like being within ten feet of that wench, let alone in the same vehicle! Why can't we take separate limos?!"

"Kagome is now your mate, Inuyasha," Inutaisho responded through gritted teeth while trying to extricate his son's hands from the doorframe, "so you need to get used to each other's presence and there's no better time for that than the present. Now shut up and get in the damn limo and stop acting like such a baby!"

Inuyasha glared at Miroku, who was watching with immense amusement behind them. "Stop gawking and do something!"

"I would love to Inuyasha," Miroku began, grinning at his friend's predicament, "but you really do need to take this time out to get to know your wife. I wouldn't want to interfere with the much needed bonding process."

Inuyasha howled in pain as Sesshoumaru drove his claws into his arms in an attempt to remove his grip on the doorframe, but the hanyou refused to let go. His ears twitched at the sound of Kagome's protests, who was being carried by her father. He would have laughed at her had he not been in the same position.

"Daddy! How can you do this to me?" Kagome whined from overtop of his shoulder as they approached the vehicle. "I thought I was your little girl? How can you subject me to such cruelty and injustice?"

"It's for your own good, hime," Ryo replied sullenly.

Her eyes searched for familiar faces amongst the crowd that were now exiting the church in hopes that someone would rescue her from her cruel fate. "Sango! Ayame!" she called to her friends and waved her hands frantically. "Sango, Ayame, help me!"

Ayame shook her head sadly as they walked after her father. "Sorry Kag, but Hitomi-san made us promise to keep out of this."

Sango picked up Kagome's veil, in which had been angrily discarded after her father had thrown her over his shoulder. "Think of it this way Kag, if you two make friends with each other now, there won't be as much blood shed at the reception."

Ryo opened the door and quickly placed her in before she could escape. "Now be a good girl and be nice to your new husband." He closed the door before she could speak or try to run away again. Sighing, he glanced to the opposite side of the limo where Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho were still trying to put a struggling hanyou in. "You need some help over there?"

"No, we've got it." Inutaisho yelped when his son sank his fangs onto his wrist in his last desperate attempt to flee. Growling in irritation, the taiyoukai backed up, then rammed all 190 pounds of himself into his son, sending Inuyasha flying onto the floor of the limo in a stunned daze.

Smirking at his idiot brother's dilemma, Sesshoumaru slammed the door shut and signaled the driver to go.

Megumi wrung her hands nervously as the limo sped away. "I do hope that they are able to make peace before the reception."

Hitomi sighed and hung her head. "That would be wishful thinking. The most that we can hope for is that they at least start seeing eye to eye. I told the limo driver to the circle the city a couple of times to give them some alone time and time for us to prepare at the reception."

Sango lifted a brow. "Umm, Hitomi-san, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"The lady is right, my dear Sango. We all know that those two need this time together to work out their differences," Miroku pointed out while observing her physical attributes. '_Hmm_,' he thought to himself, '_lady Sango isn't as puny as she was a couple of years ago_.'

The last time he had seen her was four years ago when Inuyasha dragged him to one of his father's company balls. The Higurashi family had been invited as special guests and Kagome had brought Sango along for the ride. Then, she had tall, wiry, and somewhat underdeveloped. '_Now_…' Miroku hid an approving smile. '_She has filled out in all of the right places and looks like a goddess. A goddess that I must have._'

She lifted a brow at him, as if seeing him for the first time. He had grown a lot since the last time that she'd seen him. No longer was he skinny with those thick framed glasses and pasty skin. Sango noticed that he had filled out quite nicely and had a wonderful bronze skin tone. And without those glasses she could see his gorgeous violet eyes shining with amusement. "I suppose your right, Houshi-sama."

"It has been a long time, my lady Sango." He bowed and advanced toward her, taking her delicate hands in his. "Perhaps we should get together sometime, oh say, tomorrow evening for a candlelit dinner at this wonderful French restaurant I know of."

Flustered, Sango nervously shifted her weight as she tried to come with a liable excuse. Dates weren't her thing, especially the best friend of her best friend's adversary. And she would never betray Kagome like that. "Umm..." All train of thought ceased when she felt one of his hands slip from wrist, to her back, and finally settle on her backside.

"Hentai!" Embarrassed and outraged, Sango launched her fist into his nose with all of her might. Nobody had the right to touch her like that and get away with it, especially some perverted monk.

Caught off guard by the surprising force of the blow, Miroku was sent sprawling to the ground in an undignified heap. '_Hmm_,' he speculated wiping the blood from his nose, and watched the pissed girl stalk away, '_I was definitely right about those curves_.'

* * *

Kagome sat with her back against the door, glaring at her new unwanted husband. Inuyasha sat with his back to his door, glaring at his new undesired mate. The tension was thick. The silence was deafening. The air was suffocating. Confused by the lack of love between the newlyweds and clearly disturbed by the hatred between the two, the driver had put up the partition just in case objects started flying.

Tired of staring at the object of her disaffection, Kagome shifted her gaze to the window. The passing scenery was easier on the eyes than the hanyou's scowl that was permanently plastered on his face.

"What? Am I not good enough for you to look at now?" inquired the hanyou distastefully and crossed his arms.

"Au contraire, I think that you're the epitome of virtuosity," Kagome retorted dryly still staring out of the window. "This unworthy one does not deserve your attention."

Inuyasha felt himself bristle as his anger piqued, something that always seemed to happen when she was in his presence. "What the hell is your problem? You're so damn prissy and conceited that it's nauseating."

She whirled around to face him, her sapphire eyes darkening with outrage. "You're calling me conceited and you're the one that's sleeping with every chick you lay eyes on?"

His eyes flashed dangerously as he bared his fangs. "I don't fucking sleep with every girl I meet! Unlike a certain somebody that likes to screw mangy wolves I do have some morals!"

"I haven't slept with Kouga!" Kagome screamed indignantly and tried to punch him in the face for even fathoming such a thought.

Inuyasha caught her fist before it could come into contact with his face. His father had already attacked him once today and he didn't feel like being physically abused again, especially by this wench. "Really?" he scoffed with narrowed eyes. "I thought otherwise when your stinkin' wolf came charging into the ceremony like he was about to have his heart ripped out."

Pissed that she couldn't pry loose her hand from his tight grasp, Kagome fisted her free hand in his thick mane and yanked, resulting in them both toppling on each other on the floor. "Well some relationships are based on love and trust instead of ass and breasts!" she snapped irately from under him.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" Inuyasha growled as he tried to pry her hand from his hair.

"Exactly how it sounds you arrogant bastard!"

"Stupid wench!"

"Immoral jerk!"

"Prissy bitch!"

"Untrained mutt!"

"Stop yanking my damn hair!"

"I will when you take your disgusting claws off of me!"

"Well if you hadn't tried to hit me then my claws wouldn't be on you, now would they?"

"Well if you hadn't assumed that Kouga and I slept with each other I wouldn't have hit you!"

Inuyasha blinked at her in confusion and mild amusement. "You two have been together for four years and haven't hit the sack once?" A part of him, deep, really deep down, was relieved to hear that she was still untouched, just as she had been.

Embarrassment, irritation, and slight mortification resulted in red creeping onto her cheeks as she desperately tried to think of a retort. "And you've been with who knows how many women and haven't slept with one?"

Now it was his turn to start blushing. "Keh. I told you I had some morals."

By now they were both nose to nose in each other's face. Both were panting and their cheeks flushed with color. It was only then that Kagome took notice of his beautiful golden eyes that she had always loved to gaze into, in which were now full of fire and passion. His silvery-white tresses had somehow broken free of their bondage and were now strewn about his face in a wild and sexy manner, framing the perfectly chiseled face that hovered inches above hers. With his hard body was pressed against hers, she could feel his heart beating furiously in his chest. Kagome felt her pulse quicken and butterflies fluttering in her stomach. '_No, no, no! This isn't right! I don't want to fall for him all over again_.'

Inuyasha raised a brow when he didn't hear another retort come from her pouty lips. '_What? She ran out of sarcastic comments already?_' He started to smirk, but stopped when he caught sight of the swirl of confused emotions stirring within her mystifying blue eyes. Her long raven black tresses were fanned around her head and were a stark contrast to her flawless, crème colored skin. Beneath the softness and fullness of her breasts, he felt the pace of her heartbeat speed up. Inuyasha gulped when her endless pools of blue locked on to his gaze. '_Damn her for being so beautiful_.'

But hating each other was the farthest thing from their minds as they searched one another's eyes, feelings long denied quickly arising to the surface of the depths they were once buried beneath. Kagome shivered in unexpected delight when his breath caressed her face gently. Kouga had never made her feel this way before. Maybe it was partly because she never allowed herself to.

Inuyasha slid a claw lightly over her wrist. Her skin was so soft and silky. He licked his lips hungrily, resisting the sudden urge to start nibbling on her flesh and mark her as his own. He had never let any girl get under his skin, ever. She was the only one that had done it. What made her so special? Why did he have this unexpected desire for her to become his mate?

They both were abruptly wrenched from their thoughts when the door to the limo opened.

Inuyasha growled at first, pissed that someone had interrupted their moment, but stopped after realizing that they had arrived at the reception. '_I didn't even notice that we had stopped_.'

Miroku poked his head into the vehicle, a knowing smile creeping onto his face after noting the position that they were in. "Well well, what do we have here? You two could have waited until the honeymoon to relieve your sexual urges."

Kagome snapped back to reality. "Get off of me!" She released her hold on his hair and pushed him away, her face feeling as thought it were engulfed in flames.

"Bitch, you were the one that pulled us down on the floor in the first place," Inuyasha growled standing up.

Somewhat unnerved by the situation that had just taken place, Kagome took Miroku's outstretched hand and came to her feet. She had to grip his arms to steady herself, herlegs feelinglike jello.

"So what exactly transpired between you two?" Miroku questioned with a grin. He was most interested. Never in his wildest…well maybe in his wildest, dreams would he imagine these two hooking up so quickly.

"Nothing!" they snapped in unison though red began to tinge their cheeks.

Miroku held up his hand in innocence. "Just thought I'd ask. Come on. Everybody is waiting for you."

Eyebrows raised as the two newlyweds entered the main dining court with disheveled appearances and flushed faces. Now what could have possibly happened in a twenty-minute limo ride to change their attitude toward each other when only an hour earlier they loathed one another with a passion? Thoughts of lechery crossed the minds of some and wooing crossed the minds of others.

"I didn't try to seduce you, you imbecilic jerk!"

"The hell you didn't!"

The thoughts of love and lust of the bystanders immediately fled as the couple made their way to their table.

"I take it that the limo ride did nothing to bring you two together," Hitomi commented as her daughter sat down in a huff next to her.

Kagome only grumbled to herself irately and started to shred the napkin that had been in front of her, pretending that it was Inuyasha's big head. Who did he think he was saying that she tried to come on to him? It was enough to make her vomit. She smirked. Maybe she should get drunk again just to barf all over him again. With this in mind, Kagome grabbed her glass full of champagne that had been placed in front over her, and took a long swig. Ignoring the bitterness and burn of the alcohol as it coursed down her throat, she continued to drink until the glass was empty.

Glaring at his mother, who had insisted that the bride and groom sit together, Inuyasha sat down stiffly beside Kagome. This was the last place he wanted to be. "Stupid stuck up schoolgirl," he muttered crossing his arms and glanced angrily at her, who had just asked the waiter to bring her more wine. "I hope you don't plan to have a repeat of what happened this morning," he snorted.

She gave him a sour smile. "Actually, that's exactly what I plan on doing. I hope you have a change of clothes."

Inuyasha jumped out of his chair in horror. "Mom-!"

Megumi snatched the end of his jacket, forcing him back into his seat. "Inuyasha shut up and sit down," she berated him under her breath. "Do remember that we are in the presence of many of our employees and future clients. Stop acting like a child."

Kagome coughed in order to hide her snickers. This was just too funny. Big bad Inuyasha being scolded by his mommy like a 2-year-old. '_I wonder if any of his girlfriends know he's such a momma's boy_.'

The hanyou scowled at her. "Puke on me again and I'll kill you, drunk monkey."

Kagome ignored her husband and smiled sweetly at the cute waiter who had brought her a bottle of wine. "Thank you so much," she said batting her eyelashes after he poured her another glass.

A flash of possessiveness and jealousy flared up in Inuyasha, but was quickly extinguished. Why should he care if she flirted with other guys? He had long since eradicated any feelings he had had for her. In fact, that was exactly what he wanted her to do. Then it would give him a chance meet and date other chicks that wouldn't be such a pain in the ass.

The resonant sound of a utensil striking a crystal glass brought everyone's attention to the middle of the floor where both Inutaisho and Ryo stood.

"I'd like to make a toast to the bride and the groom," the taiyoukai announced grinning up at his son and daughter-in-law, who had begun to sink into their seats in discomfort.

Megumi and Hitomi pinched their children, ordering them to sit up and look attentive.

"Inuyasha. Kagome." Inutaisho lifted his glass. "I'd just like to say that I'm very proud of you both for being mature and sensible about this whole arrangement." He went on, ignoring the various coughs and snickers from the audience. "I know that both of you had your whole lives ahead of you and being bound together at such a young age is something that both of you despise."

Inuyasha's amber orbs narrowed. Despise was putting it lightly. He despised mushrooms on his pizza. He despised when he was in his Ferrari doing 100 mph and people going 50 cut in front of him. Kagome, on the other hand, was in a class by herself.

"There will be trials and tribulations that the both of you will have to overcome."

Kagome guzzled down another glass of the wine. The only tribulation she wanted to overcome was this stupid reception.

"But," Ryo spoke, "we know that you both can do. You can make it, but only if you work as a team and put aside your differences. Only as a team will you be able to make this new merger thrive and prosper and only as a team will you be able to come to terms your relationship and hopefully develop love for each other."

The bride and groom snorted softly to themselves. As if.

"Which is why this toast is for you." Inutaisho looked at them, pride shining in his amber orbs. "May all of your dreams and wishes become a reality."

Kagome closed her eyes, reopening them a moment later. Well her wish didn't become reality. She was still here.

"And most importantly, may you two live a long, healthy lifespan, full of love and trust and happiness." Ryo presented his glass. "To Inuyasha and Kagome Takeda."

"To Inuyasha and Kagome Takeda," the audience repeated, then drank from their glass.

Hitomi snatched the flute of wine from her daughter before she could bring it to her lips. "I think that you've had enough wine for today. After what happened this morning, I think that you should lay off the alcohol for a while."

Inuyasha snickered when Kagome began to pout. An idea struck him. "Mmmmmm…." The hanyou lifted the glass to his lips and let the warm liquid slide into his mouth, then swished the it. "Tasty." He smacked his lips.

Kagome internally berated herself for leting his mocking antics get to her. Huffing, she crossed her arms and looked away. '_Jerk_.'

To evoke her even more, Inuyasha began gargling with the alcohol just to spite her.

Suppressing the impulse to choke him to death, Kagome clenched her teeth and scooted over in her chair toward her mother. '_Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts_.' An idea formulated in her head. Hiding a grin, Kagome inched toward him until she was at the edge of her seat. Still gargling, Inuyasha hadn't noticed what Kagome had planned until he felt one of her elbows ram into his ribs.

Kagome laughed when wine spewed from his mouth and nostrils. Damn she was good.

Megumi stopped talking to one of her clients to glare at her son as he tried to suppress the coughs that racked his body. "For once Inuyasha, for once, I would like to see you act with some sense instead of like a fool."

"But…" He was overtaken with more coughs and couldn't finish his sentence.

Kagome's mirth was brought to a halt when she felt the hairs on her neck stand at attention. She immediately sunk into her seat. "Sorry Mama. Won't happen again."

Hitomi stopped glaring at her daughter and returned to her previous conversation with on of the board members.

"That was uncalled for," Inuyasha growled softly once he regained control of himself.

"You asked for it. Next time don't tempt me."

"If my mother wasn't sitting right next to me-"

"Or what?" she questioned shifting her gaze from the crowd to his annoyed golden eyes. She felt her heart skip a beat when he reached over and took one of her hands in his. The annoyance in his eyes melted into softness. He brought her hand to his lips, and brushed them gently across her knuckles. The caress of his warm and soft sending shivers of pleasure racing up her arm. Kagome bit her lip to try and calm herself when he gazed up at her again with those deep, meaningful amber eyes.

"Kagome…" he whispered with a small smile, eyes still locked on hers. A flicker of amusement crossed his eyes, but she failed to see it until it was too late.

Kagome shrieked when she felt the wine stream down the front and the inside of her dress. Inuyasha howled with laughter and threw his empty wineglass onto the table. Now this was funny.

All talking ceased and all eyes focused on the scene that lay before them. Kagome didn't move or say anything. Her head was bowed, her bangs hiding her eyes.

The hanyou stopped laughing when he noticed that nobody was joining in. He turned his attention to the drenched wretch that lay before him. The gown was ruined. The tawny colored wine streaked the front of the dress and was still dripping onto the floor.

Inuyasha felt a pang of guilt. Maybe he went too far. He only wanted to make her mad, not cry. "Uhh, Kagome?"

Her head snapped up at the sound of her name. Angry tears stained her face. Hatred, pain, and a myriad of other emotions swirled in her turbulent sapphire eyes. And before he could even say a word, she launched herself at him screaming like a wild banshee. Nobody humiliated Kagome Higurashi and got away with it.

End.

(of this chapter of course)

* * *

**AN**: So? What do ya think? Kouga will probably be in the next chapter so be ready for some good butt kicking. I'm still pondering on whether or not to include a little Kouga/Ayame in this…probably will. They're a cute little couple. Of course Kouga will have to get over Kagome first. ::sigh:: I wonder how I'll work that one out.

Anyway people, REVIEW! The more reviews, the faster I update. Even if it means putting off a couple of homework assignments.

Next chapter: I wonder what will happen when Kagome and Inuyasha are forced to live together, not only in the same city, but under the same roof????

Until next time people, Ciao baby!


	5. The Move

**Disclaimer**: ::Holds up sign:: Me no own Yasha. ::retreats sadly to the recesses of house::

**AN**: I love snow days!!! This day off gave me a chance to update. I'm also really happy that I received my very first acceptance letter to college!!! I am so happy. I guess I won't be living at home for another year after all. And I'm also very happy that I got my report card and I actually did good. I love my 4.11 GPA. Maybe if I keep this up my mother will finally buy that laptop I've been wanting. - Anyway, sorry for being so slow with the update. But you know me. Procrastinator extraordinaire.

* * *

The Move

* * *

Inuyasha and Kagome sat at opposite ends of the couch back in the hotel room, silently awaiting the chewing out that they both deserved by their parents. Inuyasha's ears twitched in annoyance and impatience as he waited for them to say something. He didn't see what the big deal was. So what if he spilled a little wine on the wench's dress and she had came at him like a rapid animal ready to devour him whole.

He glanced down at his tattered shirt, in which had been literally slashed to shreds by her long, manicured fingernails. And he could still feel the stinging in his cheeks where she had raked her talons along his skin, producing a warm flow of blood that was still caked to it. Ok, maybe they did take it a little above and beyond with the whole hating thing, but that didn't warrant for harsh consequences, right?

"I am thoroughly ashamed of you two," Megumi scolded first, eyeing the bride and the groom with barely concealed frustration as they dejectedly slumped further in their seats. "I have never been so embarrassed in my life. I know that you two have a strong dislike toward each other, but that does not give you the right to make a total fools of yourselves as well as us."

"This type of behavior makes us look bad as parents and employers," Ryo stated wearily. He was at his wits end. It had taken three grown full blooded youkai to remove Kagome's death grip from her husband's neck. He had never seen his daughter act so volatile. '_Whatever happened to the times where Inuyasha brought out the good in my daughter, instead of vice versa,_' he reminisced.

"Inuyasha, throwing wine at Kagome was uncalled-for," Inutaisho growled, shooting a fierce stare at his son, golden eyes in narrowed slits. "You are supposed to respect and appreciate your mate, not humiliate and ridicule them in the presence of their friends and family. I should punish you for your actions toward her and for the way you made a mockery of the Takeda name." The taiyoukai cracked his knuckles, restraining himself from beating his son to a pulp. "You are no longer a child, but an adult, more or less. So you will be disciplined as such."

"And don't think you're off of the hook young lady," Hitomi rebuked at her daughter upon seeing Kagome fight back a sneer. "You are in as much trouble as he is. I also am ashamed at the way you behaved today. Your manner as a lady and a wife was absolutely horrendous. I raised you to be better than that Kagome and I expect you do conduct yourself like you have had some home training."

"But Mama, he started it," Kagome whined in an attempt to take some of the heat off of her. '_It's not my fault that Inuyasha is a complete ass_,' she thought sourly to herself. _'I believe that would be the fault of his parents' union._'

Hitomi raised her hand. "I don't want to hear who started it. Today, I'm ending it. As of now, you two will be residing together, under the same roof, in a house not to far from the Takeda's mansion."

"WHAT!!!" they both screamed in unison jumping to their feet, eyes wide with surprise and outrage.

"I'm don't want to live with him! That would be like committing matrimonial suicide!"

Ryo rubbed his temples. He could feel an oncoming migraine pulsing in the back of his skull with a vengeance. "Kagome calm down. It won't be suicide. You don't even have to share the same room."

"I can't live with her! Do you now what that will do to my rep? What all of my will my women say!?" Inuyasha growled at his parents. This was not happening. He could deal with being married to her, if and only if she remained as far away as possible from him. "I thought I would live in my home and she would live in hers!"

"Inuyasha, you're married now. That means no more free loading women, no more staying out all night getting drunk at bars, and no more clubbing, unless of course you take Kagome with you," Megumi stated matter of factly, though she seriously doubted they would be doing that together any time soon.

The hanyou plopped back onto the couch angrily. "I have officially died and gone to hell."

"What's that supposed to mean!" Kagome barked at him irately.

"Living with you will be like dwelling with flesh eating, soul sucking, slaughter-loving demons from the underworld," he admitted deprecatingly.

Before she could launch herself at her husband in wild rage, Ryo seized, with some level of difficulty, his daughter by the waist. "Kagome," he said in a strained voice as he tried to detain her from molesting the hanyou any more today, "control yourself. Didn't your mother just tell you to that you need to act more like a lady?"

Hating the fact that he was right, Kagome stopped swinging and kicking and sagged against her father in defeat. When did her life start its downward spiral into oblivion? Oh right, the moment she said _'I do'_, no wait, it had to have been the moment he stepped back into her life.

"Its not like we're asking you to elope and bear us grandchildren…yet," Hitomi added and almost grinned when she saw horror and fear replace their livid expressions. "All we want you to do is remain respect and civil to one each other."

"Or at least in public," Inutaisho grumbled folding his arms.

"Please," Megumi pleaded with both the bride and groom, "if not for the sake of the company, then at least for us." She gave them the puppy dog eyes. Nobody could resist her puppy dog eyes.

_'Damnit, I hate when she gives me that look_,' Inuyasha thought in a huff. He loved his mother and would do anything to make her happy. Slowly he felt his resolve ebbing away. Crossing his arms in a fashion similar to his father's, he answered uncaringly, "Keh. I'll live with the her, but I refuse to share the same bed with her."

"Like I would want you to," Kagome muttered crossly.

"And what about you, hime?" Ryo asked taking her hands in his. "Will you do this for me?"

She squirmed uneasily under everyone's heavy gaze. Kami, she hated being put on the spot. "Fine. I will live with him and I will be courteous to him when we are in public," Kagome replied reluctantly. Why did it feel as though she was selling her soul to the devil?

Both Megumi and Hitomi squealed in delight, ecstatic that their children had finally come to terms with one another. Inutaisho slapped the hanyou on the back grinning in pride. "You've made your old man proud, son!" he bellowed in a deep hearty voice as Inuyasha coughed and struggled to regain his composure after being struck by his father's powerful blow.

Ryo leaned over and brushed his lips across his daughter's cheeks. "You've made me the happiest man in the world just now. Thank you, hime."

Kagome shrugged indifferently. As the adults danced around, praising one another on their accomplishments and patting each other on the back, her gaze slid to the uptight dog-eared husband of hers. His wary golden eyes flicked from the idiotic antics of their parents only to lock on to the guarded azure irises of his wife. An unspoken truce passed between the two, going unnoticed by the others. Though there would always be an underlying abhorrence for each other, they would remain civil towards one another in public and only in public for the sake of their parents' sanity.

* * *

It had taken a couple of days to settle into their new home. Under the watchful eyes of their parents, the newlyweds kept their promise of not creating any type of disturbance whatsoever. They didn't fight over who would get the master bedroom, in which was Kagome of course, they didn't argue over who would get the last piece of bacon, which was Kagome, and they didn't bicker over who would get the Aston Martin that was a gift from one of the board members, in which was Kagome. In fact, the place was so big that they barely saw each other even though their rooms were on opposite sides of the hall. After observing that there would be no further conflict between the two, the parents then decided that it was time for their departure.

"And remember to behave yourselves," Hitomi reminded them as their limo pulled out of the winding driveway.

Kagome put a smile on her face and waved. "I will Mama! Take care! Bye!"

"Inuyasha, don't you disappoint me boy!" Inutaisho yelled out of the window as their limo followed the Higurashi's. "Stay out of trouble whelp!"

"Keh. Whatever old man," Inuyasha snorted, arms crossed in defiance. The old taiyoukai was becoming senile in his old age.

"I'm warning you! Don't make me come back up here and kick your…" His booming voice faded away as the limo exited the gates of their new estate.

Paying no heed to the girl beside him, Inuyasha reentered the mansion and took his cell phone from his pocket. "Oi, Miroku. Party at my place tonight at 8. Tell everybody."

Without waiting for a response, he flipped the phone back in its original state and headed to his room. Just because he was married didn't mean he couldn't have any fun.

Kagome gritted her teeth as she followed him in. "And what if I don't want a party here?"

Pausing at the base of the spiral staircase, he turned around and scowled at her coldly. "It doesn't matter what you want or what you don't want to do. Now that our parents are gone, I don't give a damn what you want." He strode up to her until he towered over her small frame. "While our parents were here, I appeased them by giving you all that you wanted. I spoke to you politely and I let you have your way. I even let you have the Aston Martin. But now all bets are off. I don't like you. I don't want you here. You have been a thorn in my side ever since the day I met you. So in other words…" Inuyasha jabbed her shoulder in a threateningly manner. "Stay out of my way wench."

Unruffled by his little speech, Kagome insolently glared up at him. "If you want to keep that finger, I suggest you remove it. We wouldn't want a repeat of what happened at the reception."

Inuyasha snorted. "Bitch, I let you win that little scuffle. If I really wanted to fight your puny ass, you would've been in a coma by now."

The hanyou yelped in surprise when she boldly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and jerked him down so that they were face to face. "Listen here you cocky bastard," Kagome forced through clenched teeth, "I am not one of your handmaids and I do not have to do what you tell me. You are not the boss of me and I don't have to listen to a damn thing you say. I will do as I please whether you like it or not. You stay out of my way unless you want another ass kicking."

Recovering, Inuyasha pried her hands from his shirt and glared at down at her. "Your empty threats mean nothing to me." He tightened his grip on her wrists. "I could shatter all of the bones in your wrists if I wanted to. And I wouldn't even feel the slightest shred of remorse."

Kagome winced inwardly as he applied even more pressure on her delicate wrists, but displayed no outward appearance of what she felt. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. '_That's going to leave an ugly mark_,' she thought deprecatingly. '_But I'll be damned if I'm going to let this jerk get the best of me._' With this in mind, a renewed sense of determination overcame her.

Replacing her glare with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, Kagome stared sweetly up at him and batted her eyelashes. "Oh Inuyasha…" she trailed off, mischief danced in her sapphire depths.

Taken aback by the sudden change in persona, Inuyasha began to get nervous. What the hell was wrong with her? "What?"

"I just wanted to give you my wedding gift, from me to you." Then, with all of the might the good Kami-sama bestowed upon her, Kagome rammed her knee into his groin with surprising speed and accuracy.

She smirked when his eyes transformed into giant saucers. "That'll teach you to mess with a Higurashi." His hands slipped from her wrists as he sunk in a boneless heap on the floor, clutching his precious crotch in obvious discomfort.

Guilt and concern gnawed away at Kagome as she left him in the middle of the floor writhing and moaning in pain. Maybe she had went too far. She bit her lip. Kneeing a guy in his family jewels was a bit extreme. She glanced at her wrists, in which were now sporting ugly blue and purple bruises from where he had gripped her wrists, and snubbed the worry she felt for the hanyou.

* * *

"What is that all of that noise?" Ayame asked in annoyance. "Youdidn't throwa party and forgrt ask your best friends did you?"

Kagome sighed as she talked with her friends three way over the phone. "It's not my party. It's _Inuyasha's_," she replied spitting out his name like it was blasphemous to even be mentioned. "He called up all of his little friends as soon as our parents left and told them that there was a party at his place."

"Is this before or after you drove your knee into his nuts?" Sango asked innocently,though theunderlying sarcasm was apparent to all.

"I believe that it was before," Kagome responded with mock haughtiness. "Besides, I don't think it could have been after seeing as though he wouldn't have been able to speak."

The girls on the opposite line laughed. A part of Kagome's spirit sank. She hadn't seen her friends in three days. She missed hanging out with them like a normal teenage girl. She should be out having fun instead of being holed up in the hellhole she was in with Lucifer himself. "I miss you guys," she whined in a pathetic voice.

"We miss you too. We would've come out to visit you but that's like a half hour drive and my mom simply will not let me borrow her car," Sango said dejectedly.

"Well maybe if you stopped using up all of her gas and forgetting refuel after you're done cruising the streets she would let you drive it more often," Ayame drew to attention.

"Don't get on my case," Sango retorted in an attempt to defend herself. "At least my license isn't suspended. I'm not the one that drives like a bat out of hell and runs over little old ladies."

"I didn't run over her," Ayame replied stiffly. "She jumped out of the way just in time. It was her own damn fault if you ask me. The elderly shouldn't be out at all hours of the night."

"It was 5 in the afternoon," Kagome put bluntly.

There was a pregnant on Ayame's end of the line before she spoke up again. "So Kag, when are we going to get to see your castle?" she asked smartly changing the subject. There was simply no need to dwell on the past. What was done was done.

A sudden idea struck Kagome. "Hey, why don't you guys come out here and stay for the summer? You all aren't doing anything and your company is so much better than my Inuyasha's."

Sango squealed. "That sounds so fun! Count me in! I need to get away from the house. Kohaku's friends keep asking me to be their girlfriends and trying to me to go on a date with them."

"Wow Sango, I think that's the first offer for a date you've had in a while," Ayame snickered good naturedly.

_'Well I'm not the one pining over my best friends' boyfriend_,' Sango thought, but wisely held her tongue. She had known Ayame had a thing for Kouga ever since the beginning, but had never commented on it. It wasn't her place to say anything and it would only result in heart ache and the possibility of their friendship disintegrating.

"So will you come Ayame?" Kagome inquired hopefully.

"Yeah, yeah. I've got nothing better to do anyways. And it would be fun to spend our last summer together before we go off to college."

"Good. I'll send the chauffeur to pick you guys up in the morning."

"K, and be sure to enjoy the party Kag," Ayame sang.

"But stay away from the alcohol," Sango warned. "We all know what happened the last time you got drunk."

Kagome grinned sheepishly at the thought of what happened at her bachelorette party. "It won't happen again. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Bye!"

They all said their farewells and hung up. In a better mood than what she was in before she called up her friends, Kagome slid off of the bed and stretched. The music that was playing downstairs had gotten increasingly louder by the hour. Now four hours later, the walls of her room were shaking and resounding with the deafening sound of their music.

More than a little pissed that she couldn't get any peace inside of her sanctuary, Kagome stalked out of her room. Wrinkling her nose in disgust at the stoned, the drunk, and those making out all along the hallway, she brushed pass them all without a second thought and headed down the steps and to where the life of the party was.

Kagome found that the foyer of the manor was littered with empty beer cans, trash, and people that had passed out. "I am going to kill him," she muttered angrily while stepping over the debris that had besieged the fine mansion.

The dining hall was in a worse shape than the atrium. Kagome stared in disbelief at the scene that lay before her. None of the parties she had been to had ever been like this. The beautiful golden tapestries, the striking embroidered table clothe, the rich taupe color of the carpet, and the stunning portraits that she had revered upon first sight, were all ruined. The tapestries lay in tatters under the feet of the people that were moving to the beat of the music, the table cloth had been ripped, the carpet was stained with dirt and beer stains, and the portraits had been either slashed or painted over with spray paint.

The pure destructiveness of it all was enough to give her a heart attack. This only added fuel to the inner fire that had been steadily been building within Kagome. Furious azure eyes sought the object of her wrath. As she scanned over the dancing mob of delinquents, until she found him sitting with some bimbo on top of him on the ten thousand dollar couch beside his friend Miroku, who was busy fondling some chick as well.

Miroku just happened to see the seething wife of his best friend enter the room. Sensing impending doom, he released the girl's rear and nudged his partner in crime. "Inuyasha."

The hanyou ignored the monk.

Annoyed now, Miroku tried again to get his friend's attention. "Inuyasha," he said louder and again was disregarded. Sighing regretfully, he turned back to the girl. "How about we finish this later? I have something to do first."

She smiled at him. "I'll be waiting Miroku-sama," she said and kissed his cheek.

Somewhat reluctant to leave the girl's side, Miroku weaved in and out of the crowd until he was face to face Kagome. "Kagome-sama, how nice of you to join us," he greeted her pleasantly.

Kagome snapped her attention from the scene on the couch to the smiling monk in front of her. "Move Miroku before I add you to my hit list." She tried to bypass him on the right.

He blocked her path and smiled down at her. "Kagome-sama, have I ever told you that violence is never the answer."

"It is in this case! Now move!" She shoved him aside and continued walking toward her husband.

Miroku sighed heavily after apologizing to the couple he was thrown into and watched as the enraged woman approached his best friend. '_I_ _guess Inuyasha is on his own. Hopefully this will end peacefully and without any incident_.' Even to himself, he didn't sound very convincing. One could only hope for the best in this situation.

Inuyasha grinned seductively at the petit and intoxicated brunette in his arms. "You're so beautiful baby," he whispered softly into her ear and ran his claws down her forearm.

She shivered in response to his ministrations, then began giggling. "Oh Inuyasha, aren't you married now?" She giggled again when he began to place gently kisses on the back of her neck.

"Who lied to you?" He murmured into her skin and continued kissing her. "I'm a bachelor." He nuzzled her earlobe. "And you're the sexiest woman I've met in my life."

More giggling and hiccupping. "You're so gorgeous and charming Inu-kun."

"Charming my ass!"

Inuyasha jumped up at the sound of his wife's voice, resulting in the brunette falling off of his lap and to the floor. The rage blazing in her sapphire eyes made the hanyou gulp and inwardly cringe. Why the hell didn't Miroku tell him she was coming? He glanced to his right to see the opposite side of the couch unoccupied. Where the hell was he?

Steeling himself against her fury, he glared at her. "What the hell are you doing down here? I don't think I invited you to my party," he said over the music with false bravado.

Kagome's temper flared. This idiot had the audacity to question her right to be in her own home. Pissed, she yanked the remote control from his hands and switched off the music that had been booming from the giant amplifiers. Ignoring the protests and complaints from the occupants of the room, she fixed her glare on the hanyou in front of her. "What the hell did you do to this place? Don't you have any respect for your home?"

"Don't you have any respect for my balls which were practically sent up to my throat!" he shot back, his anger rivaling hers.

"I don't respect anything about you!" she spat throwing the remote against the wall.

People had begun creeping out of the room, afraid of the consequences that would befall them if they stayed to witness the wild woman's rage. "Look at what you did to this place! It's ruined."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes in irritation. "Calm down and stop having a damn hissy fit. It can all be replaced wench"

"That's not the point. I refuse to live in a pigsty and have all of my things ruined by your stupidity and ignorance!"

The brunette came out of her stupor and stood clumsily to her feet. Blinking in confusion at what just happened, she cocked her head to the side to get a better look at the clearly infuriated female. She tugged Inuyasha's shirt. "Hey, Inu-kun, what is her problem?"

The hanyou stared at his wife and smirked. "She's just angry because she can't get laid. Not even by her own boyfriend." The instant the words left his mouth, he instantly regretted it. Her face fell, her anger being replaced with a hurt that cut him to his heart.

Inuyasha shrugged off the brunette and took a step forward to apologize. "Kagome, I-"

Miroku, and everyone else that was left in the room, winced as the slap reverberated off the walls.

"I hate you Inuyasha," Kagome said bleakly, her face bowed so that her bangs hid her tears. "I wish I had never met you." Then she ran from the room, leaving a stunned and fairly hurt hanyou behind.

"Kagome," he murmured quietly, ignoring his throbbing cheek where she had slapped him and watched her retreat, "I didn't mean it."

End.

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**AN**: Wow. Inuyasha can be a real jerk can't he? I feel so sorry for Kagome and what she has to put up with. Now I'm going to go work my other fic in which I have really neglected these past couple of weeks. Oh wait, I have another essay to do. ::sighs dejectedly:: Maybe I'll have to put it off again. ::smacks forehead:: Wait, I have to go study so I can get my learner's permit. ::sighs again:: I've got too many things to do.

Review and tell me what you think.

Next chapter: Will Inuyasha's apology be accepted? How will Kouga react when he finds out Kagome has been hurt?


	6. The Apology

**Disclaimer**: ::tweaks Inuyasha's ears:: He's just eye candy, nothing that I own yet.

**AN**: Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews. They really kept me going. I love you all! I've been so busy with homework and other things that I don't really have enough time to do anything. Enjoy the chapter people!

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The Apology

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The sound of chirping birds and the smell of freshly brewed coffee awoke a reluctant Kagome from her slumber. Jadedly, she rubbed the remnants of sleep from her eyes and sat up in the plush queen size bed. Bright rays of sunlight filtered through the golden translucent draperies that hung daintily, outlining the tall windows on either sides of the grand room. '_Wait_,' she thought in confusion as she took in her surroundings, '_this isn't my room_.'

Suddenly, recollections from the previous day began to flood her mind. All of the hurt, the anger, and the anguish of yesterday's trials and tribulations that she had pushed within the depths of her inner being came to surface. Her face hardened as a mental picture of Inuyasha taunting her in front of his friends came to mind. Kagome hated him. Pure and simple. She wished the earth would open up and swallow him so that she could live out the rest of her existence in peace.

_She's just angry because she can't get laid. Not even by her own boyfriend_ , the hanyou had said. Kagome swallowed a lump in her throat, remembering how she had cried herself to sleep last night. She was very proud of her virginity, no doubt about it, and usually a comment like that would have rolled off of her back. But somehow, she had let that cocky, self centered jerk get under her skin. _'Maybe because I'm going to die a virgin_,' Kagome mused sardonically, but inwardly knew it was the fact that she had saved herself for someone special, not an asshole like Inuyasha.

She felt as if fate were mocking her. '_Perhaps I should have taken my chances with Kouga. At least he cared about me._' Mustering what little energy she possessed, Kagome rolled off of the bed and dragged herself into the bathroom, where she proceeded to gape at her unbecoming appearance. Dark circles hung under her eyes, her skin a pasty white color, and her hair hanging limply down her back. Kagome shook her head and slapped her face. '_I refuse to let him get to me_,' she admitted to her reflection with renewed vitality. '_I won't succumb to that half-wit's ignorance even if it kills me._'

* * *

Inuyasha paced the kitchen floor nervously. She was up. He knew it. He had been debating all night if he should apologize for what he said or not. His pride told him not, that she had it coming, but his heart told him otherwise. He had been kind of impolite and, well, blatantly rude to her by mocking her virginity. Guilt had tore at him the remainder of the party, making having fun completely out of the picture, thus putting a damper on the night. It wasn't his fault she couldn't take a damn joke. In fact, if she hadn't showed up at all everything would be fine.

He growled at his rationalization of the situation. Ok, maybe he had gone a little overboard with the whole not getting laid comment, but that was no reason for her to get all worked up over it, right? "And what, my friend, seems to be the problem this glorious morning?" Inuyasha nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the monk's voice, scattering his thoughts.

"Can't you alert somebody when you enter the room!" he snapped in petulance.

Miroku rolled his eyes and sat on the nearest stool. "I do believe that you're the hanyou here."

"Keh. Whatever. Where's my breakfast?" Inuyasha demanded, his stomach beginning to growl in protest due to hunger. He was already in a pissy mood and the lack of food was only adding fuel to the flames. '_Somebody is going to get fired today if I don't have my breakfast within the next ten minutes.'_

"Patience is a virtue Inuyasha-sama." The hanyou's ears swiveled in the direction of the rough voice. A silver arched brow raised as a relatively old woman entered the kitchen. "Well its one virtue that I don't possess," he put frankly. "And who might you be old hag?"

Her weathered face drew into a displeased frown at the lack of manners her young master possessed. "My name is Kaede. Ye mother hired myself as a chef and as head housekeeper."

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose. "Aren't you a little old to be doing this kind of work?"

"Inuyasha, I didn't know you cared so much for the well being of another," Miroku commented plucking an apple out of the fruit basket before sinking his teeth into it.

"I don't. Its just that if her old ass falls and she breaks her hip on the job, I don't want to be sued or pay for her hospital bill," he huffed indignantly and sat in an stool next to the monk.

"Its not like you couldn't spare the money," Miroku murmured munching quietly and thinking of his parent's vast corporate empire.

The old woman stared distastefully for a moment at her young master before getting to work on making breakfast. "Will ye wife be wanting breakfast as well?"

"That's ok. I'm not really that hungry." Inuyasha leapt back to his feet when the melodic voice of Kagome drifted into the kitchen. Amber eyes registered surprise when she crossed the threshold and entered the kitchen. Her calm and bright façade depicted nothing of what had happened the previous night. She was sporting low rider jeans and a white tank top with her raven tresses pulled up into a high ponytail. A smile graced her delicate features and her azure eyes were bright with enthusiasm. And here he was thinking that she would be upset about what happened during the party.

Miroku eyes instantly widened in pleasure and happiness as he rose to meet her, abandoning his half eaten apple on the counter. "My you are certainly looking well this fine morning, Kagome-sama. And might I add that you look absolutely ravishing." He reached for her hand and placed a kiss on her palm.

"Umm thank you Miroku," Kagome said with a nervous laugh, withdrawing her hand from lecherous grasp of the monk. "You don't look too bad yourself." Completely ignoring the hanyou, she brushed past him and over the their new employee.

"Hi. My name is Kagome. Are you the new head housekeeper Megumi-san was talking about?" she asked with a bright smile.

Inuyasha growled, irritated that he was not receiving any attention. "Oi wench, don't ignore me!" he barked before the old hag could introduce herself. He felt his blood turn to ice when she threw the coldest glares over her shoulder at him.

"I do not believe I was speaking to you." Her voice was laced with venom and repugnance. Although disturbed and frightened by her sudden change in demeanor, Inuyasha refused to back down from her blatant challenge. He would not be shown up by some weak human. Baring his fangs menacingly, he glared right back at her. "Listen wench-"

"My name isn't wench. It's Kagome," she responded coolly, her tone void of any caring emotion or warmth, "if you're not going to address me by my name, then don't bother addressing me at all."

Inuyasha felt his temper rise. Here he was trying to apologize for what transpired the night before and all she wanted to do was bite his damn head off. Screw chivalry. "Don't talk to me in that tone!" he vented a bit harshly.

"I'm going to the gardens to get some fresh air," Kagome mentioned jerking her gaze from the pissed hanyou to the other occupants of the room. He wasn't worth her attention. "I'll see you guys later. And with that she exited the kitchen." Kagome inwardly grinned at the way she handled the situation. And her father said she couldn't conduct herself like a lady.

By some strange twist of fate, or rather with a head housekeeper managing the household as well as other employees, the entire place had become immaculate and in order once more. Gone were the aftermath of the party. No beer bottles or trash littered the floor. No stoned and intoxicated people were sprawled out in various rooms. It looked just like it had did before Inuyasha's rowdy party.

With fairly risen spirits, Kagome walked through the foyer and out the large oak double doors. A cool breezed greeted her upon stepping foot out of the mansion. Emissions of warmth from the sun's rays caressed her cool cheeks. Birds were singing and flitting about overhead. Trees swayed to the rhythm of the gently wind. It was truly a beautiful day. And for the first time all in a while, a true smile formed on Kagome's face. Who couldn't resist the charm and appeal of such an aesthetic scenario?

"Wench!" Kagome's smile turned upside down at the roar of her spouse. Obviously he couldn't. But that was to be expected from such and ill-mannered and foul-mouthed individual. "And what do you want?" she inquired sordidly as he stormed out of the household, anger and annoyance distorting his features.

Inuyasha advanced toward her and before she could recoil from his touch, he seized her by the arms forcefully. "Stupid wench! Listen to so you can take my apology for what happened last night!"

"I don't have to listen to a damn thing you say jerk!" Kagome hissed, feeling her indifferent, cool façade fading away, which was to be expected in a situation such as this. Inuyasha felt his patience wearing thin.

He gripped her arms even tighter, eyes burning with ardent fury. "I'm your husband, therefore you're entitled to give me respect and listen to what I have to say!"

She chewed on her bottom lip when she felt his claws press against the skin on her forearm, but snubbed the idea of admitting her pain and instead chose to glower at him in hatred. "I'm not entitled to give you anything, including respect! I don't respect vermin that sponge off of their parents and with their misshapen ideals!"

Inuyasha growled, his ears flattening atop his head. This woman was so damn infuriating. "Take the fucking apology!"

"Take your apology and go shove it up your arrogant ass!" she spat in contempt, but her bravado faltered when his claws sank into her flesh. A whimper escaped her lips as she felt warm trickles of blood stream down her arm.

The hanyou blinked in surprise and shock upon hearing her whine and glanced down to where he had a death grip on her arms. He had been so blinded by his fury and resentment that he had momentarily forgotten that he was dealing with a weak human and her equally weak resistance. Inuyasha immediately released her from his hold and stared in horror at the tips of his blood stained claws. But it wasn't the blood that made him feel the knife of guilt tear through his gut, it was her eyes. Her blue eyes which were now full of confusion, pain, and fear.

Kagome began to take little steps away from him. He had hurt her. He had hurt her with his own two claws. Inuyasha was definitely an emotional and mental abuser, using his foul language and biting remarks and insults as daggers. But she hadn't known that he was prone to abuse the body as well. She gulped nervously. She had forgotten about his mixed blood and his tendency to get temperamental when riled up. Where was the monk when she needed him?

_'She's afraid of me_,' he thought remorsefully. He hadn't meant to harm her. Just make her see things his way. Inuyasha reached out to touch her. "Wait, Kagome-" He never got to finish because no sooner had her name left his tongue when a blue Mustang sped up past the iron gates and up the winding driveway.

Kagome took this distraction to spring away from his looming blood smeared claws and run toward the fast approaching vehicle. She visibly relaxed when Kouga hopped out of the car. She was saved.

"Kagome, I just came to see how my woman was doing," Kouga announced with a broad grin shutting the door and walking toward her only to frownwhen he saw the nervousness flickering in his ex girlfriend's alluring blue pools. "What's wrong Kagome?" Before she could respond, the scent of blood in the air wafted into his nostrils. His piercing cobalt eyes narrowed when he eyed the bloody claw marks on her forearms.

He growled softly, and ran a gently claw across her shallow wounds. "Who did this to you?" he questioned in a rough tone, trying to keep the underlying fury and worry from showing in his voice.

Kagome's eyes darted over to where Inuyasha was standing, who was uncharacteristically silent and staring at his claws in repulsion. "It's nothing Kouga. I...umm…just got a little cut up when I was walking through the rose garden," she lied returning her gaze to the wolf youkai. Why was she covering up for him after all that he had done to her? Damn her endless compassion.

Kouga didn't fall for it. "These look like the imprints of claws Kagome." He leaned in and sniffed at her upper limb, and suddenly roared dangerously when he detected the hanyou's scent mixed in with her blood. The wolf youkai whipped around to face his adversary. "Inuyasha! You stinking pile of dog shit! I'm going to fucking gut you for harming my Kagome!"

"No wait Kouga!" Kagome jumped in front of him before he could take off. "Stop! He didn't mean it. It was an accident."

"Accident or not, no youkai, half or whole, has the right to inflict pain among their mate!" Kouga snarled in the direction of the hanyou, his eyes beginning to bleed red. "Especially my woman! Watch out Kagome. I'm going to teach this half breed a lesson that he will never forget."

Before she could say a word, Kouga bypassed Kagome and sped off en route for her spouse. The wolf youkai was in front of his opponent in the blink of an eye. Inuyasha cursed, and narrowly dodged the wolf's flying fist as he sprung out of his reach. '_Damn this bastard's fast_,' the hanyou thought with bared fangs as he landed gracefully on the gravel of the driveway.

"Stop running away and fight me dog breath!" Kouga barked and sprinted with unnatural speed to where his opponent had landed. He leapt into the air, intent on splitting the hanyou's skull open with his fist. Sensing the youkai's aim beforehand, Inuyasha ducked and rolled out of the way just in time to escape a skull shattering blow to the ground. As dirt and dust flared up around the wolf, Inuyasha took this time to detect the exact position of the wolf.

Kouga, who was momentarily blinded by the rising dust and gravel, didn't see the foot Inuyasha launched at his stomach until it was too late. The hanyou grinned in satisfaction as the wolf was knocked to the ground with a grunt. "Stupid wolf. You're as dumb as you are ugly. You should know better than to challenge me."

"You bastard," Kouga grunted from his facedown spot on the driveway. Slowly, he picked himself up and shook of the dirt that clung to his clothes, then turned to glare at the cocky hanyou. "You will regret that."

Kagome rolled her eyes, deciding to intervene before round two went under way. "Would you two stop this inane display of who has the biggest balls." She glanced at the grinning hanyou and scowled. "Haven't you done enough already? Leave so that Kouga and I and talk in private."

His grin slipped from his face, and was replaced with a smirk. "Keh. You're not the boss of me. This is my property as much as it is yours. So I can do whatever the hell I please and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

"Didn't I tell you not to talk to my woman like that dog shit!" Kouga growled, advancing upon Inuyasha once more, but stopped in his tracks when Kagome put a hand on his chest. "Don't provoke him anymore Kouga. He's not worth it." Kagome began brushing bits of rubble and dust off of her ex boyfriend's clothes. "So you came all the way up here to start a fight with him?" she asked with a half smile in an attempt to change the subject.

The anger that had embedded itself in his soul began to lift. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Actually, I came to see how my woman was fairing." Kouga tucked a strand of loose hair carefully behind her ear affectionately. "Every time your presence graces me you seem to become more and more gorgeous."

Kagome felt her face flush. It felt like such a long time since she had received a complimented, save Miroku, who made it a priority to flatter every pretty female in sight. "Umm, thanks Kouga." He had showed more fondness to her in five seconds than her husband had shown in five days. '_I guess that's how the cookie crumbles_,' she mused wistfully.

Inuyasha struggled to fight down the possessiveness and jealousy that had risen from out of nowhere. Why the hell was he reacting this way? He shouldn't give a damn that she was openly flirting with her ex boyfriend. But the hanyou couldn't help but feel to some extent envy of the way Kouga was able to arise a blush out of his wife, clearly remembering how he used to do the same thing in another time. "I am standing right here morons!" Inuyasha snapped, unable of tolerating such displays of care and affection any further. "Why don't you get a damn room!"

"Why don't you go somewhere else, dog breath," Kouga suggested wryly, then shifted his gaze to his woman. Concern furrowed his brow. He swept a gentle claw across her wounds, which had long since stopped bleeding. "You need to get this checked out."

"I will as soon as I go back in," Kagome reassured smiling at him. A pang of hurt resounded within the chambers of the hanyou's heart. She hadn't smiled up at him like that in a long time. "If you're done here, you mangy wolf, then leave," Inuyasha declared through gritted teeth.

Kouga stared icily at him. "I'm not leaving until I put my foot up your ass for harming Kagome."

"I told you it was a fucking accident!"

"And I told you I was going to kill for that little slip up! What if you killed her?"

Inuyasha snorted and crossed his arms. "It would make me a free hanyou again, so I would be happy." He mentally slapped himself for his stupidity. Open mouth. Insert foot. "Wait, I didn't mean-"

The honking of a horn diverted their attention to the incoming guests that had just arrived. Kagome squealed in delight as the limo pulled up into driveway alongside Kouga's Mustang. Her friends had finally arrived.

"Kagome!" Ayame squeaked hopping out of the vehicle first. "We're here! Direct me to…" she trailed off upon noticing the tension that was thick in the air. Something was definitely up. She glanced in Kouga's direction, her heart unexpectedly skipping a beat. Why was he here?

"Ooh, what did we miss," Sango said stepping out behind the female wolf youkai. She inwardly cursed. It seems as though they had already missed the scuffle.

"What the hell are they doing here?" Inuyasha demanded, partially thankful for the distraction and partially angry they had interrupted his excuse.

"I asked them to come," Kagome admitted staring at the hanyou in scorn. You have a problem with that? "Obviously I do or I wouldn't have commented on it!" he lashed out.

"Well I don't care what you want! They're my friends and they will be staying here for the rest of the summer and there's nothing you can do about it."

Without disrupting the arguing couple, the two females and quietly walked past them and into their temporary home excitedly. They had a feeling they would be seeing much more quarrelling between the two.

Kouga cleared his throat in order to get their attention. A pair of golden and azure orbs jerked into his direction, more or less irritated that he had broken up their argument. "I have decided that the mutt is incapable of protecting my Kagome and since I can't have you laying your filthy claws on her again, I have decided that I will be temporarily residing here as well."

"This is not a fucking hotel!" Inuyasha barked angrily at the wolf youkai, who had already begun taking his suitcases out of his car.

Kouga smirked and locked his doors. "It is now mutt face. So get used to it." He gave his woman a sidelong glance. Come on Kagome. You can show me to my room." They left the hanyou outside with his colorful words and phrases.

"What the hell did I do to deserve this?" Inuyasha shouted at the heavens, and had a nagging suspicion that the gods were silently mocking him. His life had reached a new low as of now.

End. (of this chapter of course)

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**AN**: I wonder what will become of the situation now that they are all under one roof? And what happened to the apology? ::shakes head:: Poor Kagome. At least she's not alone anymore. Well now since I'm practically dead asleep at this stupid computer, I'm going to go to bed. ::yawns:: If I had a laptop, writing this stuff would be so much easier than sitting at this hard chair in the basement. I feel like a hermit.

Forgive me for mistakes. I'll edit this later. Just had to get this out of my system before I went to sleep.

Next chapter: Drama, drama, and more drama. And I wonder what big news the parentals have. Maybe something to do with. Nah, I'll just leave it here.  
Review and let me know whatcha think. I adore reviews. They give me so much motivation. (hint, hint) -


	7. The Adjustment

**Disclaimer:** I wish I do, but I don't.

**AN**: OMG! You guys really love this little fic of mine. Thanks so much for all the support and love. Its appreciated! Sorry for the long wait. Homework. You know how it is. And for those who are confused about Kouga and Kagome's relationship, let me clear the air. Kouga loves and adores Kagome. Kagome kinda sorta loves Kouga but in that friendly kind of way. She was never really serious about their relationship in the first place, which is why she is still a virgin. And for those who are wondering why Kagome and Inuyasha hate each other so much, you'll find out in a few chapters. So stay tuned.

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The Adjustment

* * *

"This will be your abode for the time being." Kagome opened the door, revealing a lavishly decorated room adorned with expensive furnishings. 

Kouga grinned as he entered, taking in his surroundings appreciatively. "Pretty nice place you got here Kag," he commented hefting his bags onto the red and gold embroidered bed.

She smiled at him. "Thanks. Decorating is my mother's hobby, which is why instead of hiring an interior decorator to give us the layout of all of the rooms, she did it all herself."

"Well she did a hell of a good job." Kouga took three long strides up to her so that they were barely a breath away. He stroked her arms and gazed earnestly into her eyes. "Kagome, this place is beautiful, and your mother did a amazing job decorating all of it. But I don't think its where you belong. I can see the sadness in your eyes and the misery this place is causing you." Cobalt eyes narrowed as they glanced down at the bloody markings on her arms. "Especially the harm that mutt is inflicting on you."

Kagome recoiled from his touch and looked away guiltily. "Its only a scratch or two. They'll be gone by next week."

His eyes hardened. "Kagome, you need to let your parents know what he's doing to you. After they see how he mistreats you I'm positive that they'll let you divorce him, and then you could come back to me. Dog face isn't fit to have a mate as wonderful and beautiful as you."

As much as she wanted to believe him, she couldn't. Her parents were depending on her to uphold this marriage for the sake of the merger. "I can't," she whispered in a barely audible voice.

Kouga growled at this. "Why not? That idiot wouldn't know the first thing about marriage, let alone staying with one woman. This arrangement will not work out and will only bring you more pain than happiness."

"I have to do this. If I don't, the merger won't succeed and my parents-"

"Stop thinking about the well being of others and start thinking about your own!" With fists balled at his sides, the wolf youkai tried to put a leash on his rising anger. "Screw the stupid merger and the wants and needs of your parents. We were happy together Kagome, and just because they wanted you to boost the sales of their company they destroyed what we had."

"This merger is everything to my parents!" Kagome snapped in a sudden rise of anger. "And I won't jeopardize their success by questioning their decisions!"

"So you would remain unhappy forever just to please your parents?" he inquired quietly, his eyes trained intensively on hers.

"Yes I would. Now if you're done meddling in my affairs I think its time for me to leave." Kagome stalked out of the room before he could say anything else. She gritted her teeth together. The nerve of Kouga to tell her what she had to do. She knew he was only looking out for the well being of her and it just made her angry that there was nothing she could do about her predicament. She hated disappointing her parents and this merger meant a lot to them.

So caught up was she in her thoughts that she failed to realize her surroundings, and ended up bumping into someone.

"Watch where you're going wench!" Inuyasha barked in irritation.

Kagome, clearly distracted, mumbled an apology and kept walking toward her room. Inuyasha stared after her in confusion. Why hadn't she fought back? Something was obviously bothering her. Curious to why she was acting so funny, the hanyou trailed after the young woman silently and followed her into her quarters.

'_I mean they've always been there for me, and I guess I kind of owe them this_,' she mused sitting down at her vanity table. '_Kouga's wrong. I'm not really that sad here._' She frowned at herself in the mirror. '_Ok, maybe I am a little depressed, but that's only because I'm homesick. As for Inuyasha,as long ashe keeps his distance from me, we'll have no problems._'

"Oi wench!"

Kagome eeped and jumped and whirled around all at the same time, coincidentally making her foot become caught on one of the legs of the chair and ending uptripping and falling flat on her back, the wind being momentarily knocked from her lungs. She growled in irritation and embarrassment from her face up position on the floor, and started to snap him, but stopped upon hearing his laughter.

Inuyasha roared at her display of clumsiness and gracelessness. Tears pricked the back of his eyes as he watched the shock and confusion pass across her dazed face. This was priceless. Where was a camera when you needed one?

Kagome stared up at his mirth filled visage, having not heard from this light-hearted side of him in years, it was a shock to her system to hear him openly laugh with her again. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. How she had missed hearing the sound of his laughter. It had been one of the many pleasures she took delight in reveling in when they had been together.

She blinked away memories forgotten when she felt his silky white locks of hair fall upon her face. Kagome looked up at Inuyasha who had crouched down beside her, golden eyes dancing with amusement and a smirk gracing his fine features. "Are you done groveling at my feet?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and suppressed the urge to blush at their closeness. "Me? Grovel at your feet? That'll be the day. Help me up."

With another low chuckle, the hanyou bent down to drag her up. Kagome hissed in pain when he grabbed the wounded area of her arm and jerked her to her feet. Inuyasha immediately released her arm as though itwere onfire. His brow furrowed. He had forgotten about her injury. Not paying any heed to her questioning gaze as he reached for her arm, Inuyasha gently ran a claw over the lacerations he had inflicted upon her delicate skin. Although they had stopped bleeding, they was still an ugly red discoloration and were puffy with swollenness.

Shock registered on Kagome's face as she saw hints of concern and regret flash through his amber orbs. So his heart hadn't completely disintigrated after all. "They look worse than they feel," she admitted quietly, finding his guilt ridden face discomforting. "It was just an accident. Don't worry about it."

"You need to get these taken care of," he said gruffly, effectively covering the concern in his voice. How could he have let his anger get the best of him? Inuyasha looked away shamefully and mentally cursed the guilt welling up within him. "Stay here, I'll be right back." He sat her at the edge of the bed before leaving the room only to reenter a few minutes later with some peroxide, a damp washcloth, and bandages in hand.

Before she could protest, he pulled up the chair that she had tripped over, sat down, and instantly went to work. Kagome could only watch as he tenderly wiped away the dried blood that had streaked its way down her arm with the wet washcloth and cleaned the wounds. She was amazed at how gentle he could be, his claws never once grazing her skin or even touching her for that matter.

A frisson of electricity raced up her arm as his hand came into contact with her skin. Kagome ignored it. It was nothing. An attraction between Inuyasha and herself was unacceptable. It was impossible, save for that time in the limo when they were on top of each other. That had only been a fluke. A really pleasant fluke, but a fluke nonetheless.

Kagome squeaked when felt the flames of hell engulf her cuts. She had been so caught up in her own little world she had failed to realize that he had moved on to the peroxide. "We don't really need to put peroxide on them," she said through gritted teeth, refraining with a considerable amount of effort from screaming out in pain.

"Yes we do," Inuyasha disregarding her request and blew on the cuts to take some of the sting away. "I know what I am doing wench. My mother made me take first aid classes a couple of years ago. She thought it would come into good use someday for reasons unknown. I guess that day is upon us."

Kagome focused on the sound of his voice rather than the burning sensation of the peroxide searing her flesh. "You know, this is the first real decent conversation we've had in a long time without arguing or fighting."

Inuyasha gave light snort while binding her arm carefully with the bandages. "You sound surprised."

"How else am I supposed to sound?" she inquired as he shifted to the other arm. "I mean, every time whenever we're together, chaos ensues.We always end up pissing each other off or trying to kill one other." Kagome flinched once more when she felt the burn of the liquid on her left arm. "And we have never really talked, since....you know....what happened." She took the time to blow the bangs,which were starting to irritate her, fromher face."I don't know what gave our parents the impression that we could pull off this marriage.

"Do you think we can pull of this marriage?" he asked, still focused on his ministrations, but his ears trained in her direction.

She released a breathy sigh. "Maybe if I stay out of your way and you out of mine, we'll be able to tolerate each other's presence, if we don't end up killing one another first."

The hanyou didn't say anything for a moment, then put the cloth down and began securing the bandage lightly around her wounded arm. "Sorry about your arm," he mumbled so softly she had to strain her ears to hear the words."You remember how my temper has a tendency of getting me into a hell of a lot of trouble."

"Don't I know it," she snorted. "If I recall correctly, you are the reason we started hating each other in the first place, all because of that temper of yours."

"Bitch, you know damn well you are the cause of all of this. Don't try and pin it all on me," he retorted, eyes flashing dangerously. "Is this the thanks I get for bandaging your stupid arms?"

Her anger spiked. First he blames her for things she didn't do andthen expects her to be grateful for something thathe was obligated to do. Some things just never changed."What the hell do you want? A bone?"

The hanyou jumped to his feet, his eyes pools of molten gold, glittering with rage. "I don't know why I even bother caring about your inconsiderate ass!"

"Inconsiderate? You're kidding right? You're the one who scratched me up in one of your little hissy fits!" she snapped.

"Stop pissing me off and maybe I won't have to!"

"Get out you jerk!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" He snatched the peroxide, cloth, and remaining bandages and stalked out of the door, his shoulders tense with simmering fury. The nerve of that wench. And after all that he had did for her. Damn it all to hell. He was going to go out tonight, hook up with some random chick, and get drunk. Being around her and her idiotic friends were enough to drive him insane.

* * *

"Sango, close your mouth. Seeing saliva seep from the corners of your mouth is so unappealing," Ayame commented grinning as they stepped into the living room. 

Sango snapped her jaw shut, but continued to gape at the lavishly decorated room in awe. "This place is huge and beautiful and I would kill for a tan leather sofa like that."

The female wolf youkai ran a claw over the tops of one of the cherry oak tables. "Well not all of our daddies and mommies are filthy rich. Kagome is so lucky." Speaking more so regarding the love of Kouga than the expensive pad. Ayame sighed. If only she could win over his love and affection, but that would be betraying Kagome. And she cherished their friendship more than anything. Even if Kouga were to mysteriously fall in love with her, how would her friend react? Would they still be as close as they were now? Or would Kagome think of her as a traitor? Things would just be too awkward. If only she could tell someone about these feelings. Her eyes lit up with hope. Maybe if she told Sango, she could give her some words of advice, which would be better than to have her conflicting emotions tear her up inside.

"Hey Sango…" Ayame looked around the room, finding it empty. "She leaves and doesn't even tell me? Some friend," she grumbled retreating to the hall. "Hey San-" Ayame's words were cut off after someone brusquely bumped into her, and causing her to trip, but was stopped mid fall when strong arms encircled her waist.

"Are you ok Ayame?" She felt her heart stop at the sound of his deep baritone voice. Ayame looked up slowly, her eyes traveling from the nicely toned torso underneath a thin shirt and up to a beautifully chiseled face, where concerned cobalt eyes looked down at her inquisitively. She blushed under his gaze. Kami, she loved his eyes.

"I-I-I…" Damnit, where was her loud voice when she needed it? Of all the times to go weak in the knees. Why did he have to be so gorgeous? She took in a deep lungful of air. "I'm fine. Thanks for catching me. That could've been my ass." There. That wasn't so hard, considering the fact that she could hear her heartbeat pounding in her delicate ears.

Kouga showed no outward sign of noticing her apparent nervousness, and steadied her on her feet, much to the disappointment of Ayame, who had been basking in his warm embrace.

"So why are you still here?" she asked in an attempt to make small talk. Just being near him was enough to make her happy.

He flashed her a heart stopping grin. "I'm staying here to protect my Kagome from that imbecile of a hanyou. I can't have him going around and hurting my woman again now can I?"

Ayame tried ignore the stab of pain and jealousy upon hearing him talk about his former love, and instead tried to focus on the last part of his statement. "Again? What do you mean again? He hurt her?"

Kouga scowled. "You don't know? That bastard cut her arms up because just because she wouldn't forgive him for humiliating her the night before." He began growling, his eyes tingeing with flecks of red. "I would gladly kill that dog faced mutt, if only Kagome would let me."

Ayame frowned at this sudden knowledge. Kagome had gotten hurt? Her eyes narrowed as she cracked her knuckles. Perhaps she could persuade her friend to let her pay a little visit to the dog eared hanyou. She'd teach him a lesson that he'd never forget. Nobody messed with her friends and got away with it.

Ayame turned on her heels and started for the spiral staircase. "See you later Kouga." She would sort out her emotions for the sexy wolf youkai as soon as she dealt with the idiot who dared hurt her friend.

* * *

'_Perhaps if I beg and plead with my parents enough they'll buy me this_,' Sango thought examining the grand stereo system that took up nearly half of the den. She sighed. No, her parents weren't the type to splurge on unnecessary objects. They wouldn't even let her get a pet. 

Her family had come from a long line of demon exterminators and they were intent on preserving the tradition. They assisted the police in investigations where they needed someone who would be able to track down a rogue youkai and had urged a reluctant Sango to take up the profession.

Brown eyes narrowed when she felt a hand slowly caress the contours of her backside. Knowing full well who the culprit was, she spun around, grabbing the hand in the process and bent all the fingers back with her free hand. A hard glint formed in her eyes. "What do you think you're doing houshi?"

Miroku howled in pain as Sango bent his fingers back even more. "Please dear Sango, have mercy on this humble monk. I spotted some dust on rear end and just wanted to brush it away for you," he pleaded, a childlike innocence in hispools of violetand voice.

"There was a little too much brushing action going on back there," she replied coldly and tightened her grip on his phalanges. "If you want to keep these fingers, I suggest you keep them away from me." Sango released her grip on his hand.

"Oww, Sango, that hurt," he whined cradling his injured appendage with his free hand.

"That was the idea," she replied wrinkling her nose.

Miroku grinned instantly forgetting his throbbing appendages. "I had no idea you liked it so rough. I will certainly keep this knowledge in mind for a later time."

Sango's eye began to twitch in annoyance. She'd had enough of his blatant lechery, and turned to leave, when she felt his uninjured hand take hold of her arm.

"Wait Sango, give me the honor of taking you out to dinner tonight. It is the least I could do to make up for the unspeakable deed I have wronged you this day." He bowed deeply and awaited her answer.

She regarded him warily, mistrust clearly evident in her facial features and in her defensive stance. "What makes you think I would agree to your proposal? Do you actually think I would find a meal that consists of ass touching with a side of thigh rubbing enjoyable?"

He stood upright, a hurt expression crossing the monk's face. "Why Sango dearest, do you really think of this humble servant of Buddha as such a lowly lecher that idolizes every female a pretty face?"

"Yes I do," she put bluntly.

Miroku began to grin. "Well you're right about that, but I would be willing to refrain from any lecherous acts for one night just to be with you," he added quickly when he saw her fist tighten at her side. "Just give me one chance, and I promise that I will not touch you in any inappropriate way." He stared earnestly into her eyes, his finger crossed discreetly behind his back.

Sango felt her resolve weaken. Damn him and his sullen puppy dog look. '_One chance_,' she told herself. '_that is all he will get._' " Fine, but if you try anything even remotely perverted, I will not hesitate to kick your lecherous ass," she warned.

"You will not regret it." Miroku took her stiff hand in his and placed a chaste kiss atop each knuckle tenderly, and hid a satisfied smile when her cheeks became tainted with pink. "Until 7 o'clock, my fair lady." Then he took his leave, restraining himself from jumping up and down with joy. Oh, what a glorious day it was.

* * *

"Inuyasha!" Ayame yelled at the top of her lungs from the bottom of the spiral staircase. "Where are you, you piece of dog crap! Get down here now and face me!" 

Kagome frowned as she turned the corner of the hallway and came out into the foyer to see what all the racket was about. She had been on her way to the kitchen to get something to eat, when she had heard Ayame screaming like a wild woman. "Ayame, what's going on?"

The wolf youkai glanced at her friend, then slid her gaze to the bandages wrapped around her forearms. Her eyes narrowed even more. That bastard was going to pay dearly. "Stand back Kagome, this isn't going to take long." She turned her attention back to the upper level of the house. "Inuyasha, I know you hear me! Don't make me come looking for you!"

"Shut the hell up bitch!" Inuyasha barked from the banister on the second floor. "I can hear your loud ass just fine! Why don't you go outside and catch a squirrel for dinner or whatever you stinking wolves do and stop pestering me!"

Kagome groaned when her youkai friend began cracking her knuckles. Not now. Not when she was so close to getting some chow. "Wait Ayame, don't-"

"But Kagome, that stupid mutt hurt you! I'm not going to stand by idly while he inflicts harm on you!"

"It was just an accident," Kagome tried to reason. "There's no need for any bloodshed." Especially with the newly installed marble floors. Her mother would have a heart attack if she saw a irremovable blood stain on her thousand dollar marble floor.

"Yeah, it was just an accident. Don't get your panties in a bunch ya' mangy wolf," Inuyasha smirked having reached the bottom of the staircase. Kagome raised an inquisitive brow at his attire. He had changed out of his rumpled t-shirt and jeans and into a black silk shirt and slacks. A couple of the buttons were undone, revealing a nice amount of tanned and chiseled chest. His usually untamed silvery white tresses were combed and pulled back into a low ponytail at the base of his neck. Kagome's heart did a flip flop in her chest, in which was pointedly ignored. He didn't deserve her attraction.

"Where are you going all dressed up?" wife asked husband.

"None of your damn business, that's where," husband answered.

Wife grits teeth together angrily, eye twitching. "At least tell me when you're going to be back so I can tell Kaede how many people will be eating."

Husband smirks. "What part of none of your damn business don't you understand wench? Or do I have to spell it out for you?"

"I got your spelling right here," Ayame growled balling her fists and attacked the hanyou, unable to watch her friend being disrespected, and my her own mate no less.

Inuyasha cursed at the wild youkai's speed and was unable to dodge the launched flying fist she sent into his abdomen. His eyes widened in pain as he doubled over, clutching his throbbing stomach. Where the hell was she getting all of this damn strength? With pain clouding his judgment and sight, Inuyasha was powerless to evade the spinning roundhouse kick that was delivered with a force to his face.

Ayame grinned wolfishly in triumph as she watched the hanyou fall to the floor, the grin widening even more upon hearing the satisfying crack of his skull when made contact with the marble floor. "Payback's a bitch, ain't it?"

"Umm, Ayame I don't think he'll be getting up any time soon," Kagome pointed out uneasily as the wolf girl bent over her fallen husband and grabbed a fistful of his white tresses and lifted his head up, allowing her to see the blood that was now flowing freely from a deep gash at the edge of his hairline. Kagome gasped at the horrific sight of the ugly wound and rushed to his side.

Ayame pouted. "But Kagome, I was just getting started. Just one more punch? Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with sugar on top?"

"No Ayame, now put his head down. You could've killed him," Kagome chastised kneeling beside her fallen husband.

"If only I had more time," Ayame muttered releasing the hair, then let his skull slam against the floor once more. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as Kagome ripped a piece of her shirt and dabbed softly at the abrasion to clean some of the blood off. "I will never be able to comprehend your unending compassion Kagome. The bastard goes and cuts you up and you want to save his ass when I was just getting started kicking it." She shook her head sadly. '_Humans_.'

Kagome smiled up at her friend. "Thanks Ayame. Even though you went to unnecessary means to defend me, I really do appreciate you having my back."

Ayame grinned proudly. "Anytime Kag."

Kagome frowned at the battered hanyou in her arms. "He's going to be really pissed when he wakes up." She could only imagine what colorful words were going to spill forth from his mouth when he awakened.

The female wolf youkai grinned, her hands practically shaking with eagerness. "Well if he is in a pissy mood and starts throwing a those tantrums of his, I'll be ready for round 2."

"Kagome." Both girls turned their heads in the direction of the front hallway as Kaede shuffled into the foyer, a beaded necklace in hand. "I have something that will be a great help in subduing the hanyou when he undergoes one of his moods."

**AN**: Special thanks to freaky for giving me the inspiration to put the rosary in here! -

"With a necklace?" Ayame asked skeptically as the old woman gave her gift to her friend. She snapped her fingers when an idea came to her. "So you're going to strangle him if he gets out of hand. Nice Kaede-san, very nice," she grinned, an evil glint visible in her eyes.

"Actually, it's a subduing spell locked away in the rosary," Kaede explained. "Place it around his neck and say a word that will activate the spell, which will instantly bring him to the ground and keeping him pinned there for a good moment or two."

Kagome stared at the burgundy rosary in her hand then at an unconscious Inuyasha that lay halfway on her lap and back to the rosary again. A small smile played at the corners of her mouth at the thought of having him succumb unto her whenever he ticked her off. Making up her mind, Kagome slid the fanged rosary around his neck meticulously and pulled his hair out.

"So what word is it going to be?" Ayame inquired enthusiastically, peering down at the necklace to get a better look. "How about stupid? Or maybe shitface. Or heel."

Before Kagome could come to a conclusion, she felt someone grab the back of her shirt. Blinking in confusion, she glanced down. Kagome felt her blood run cold. Inuyasha's eyes had opened, revealing a set of violet orbs swimming in a sea of red. Fiery hatred burned intensely within his irises. His lips parted slightly, a pair of elongated fangs emerging from their depths as a low growl rumbled deeply inside his chest.

A gasp escaped Kagome's lips when his hold on her shirt tightened and before she could fully grasp the situation, he flung her aside and pounced on an unsuspecting Ayame. Ignoring the sharp pain that came with being flung on one's hip quite forcefully, Kagome struggled to stand. Fear flickered in blue eyes as she watched a snarling and almost rapid acting hanyou pick up and throw her best friend into a nearby wall.

"Now child!" Kaede yelled. "Say the word now!"

"Umm…" she bowed her head and racked her brain for the right word. Wait, it didn't matter what word it was, she had to save Ayame before it was too late. Kagome's head snapped up and she yelled the first thing that came to mind. "SIT!"

For a second, panicbloomed in Kagome's chest when she saw that nothing was happening, but it was instantly quelled when a eerie bluish light began to emit from the rosary. All of a sudden, a vicious looking Inuyasha, who was walking over to where Ayame lay, was forced to ground by the vehement pull of the necklace, slamming his body to the floor.

"Ayame!" Kagome ran over to her friend who lay unmoving in a pile of debris that had fallen off of the wall due to the powerful impact.

The wolf youkai groaned and rolled over onto her back. "What the hell happened?" she asked groggily sitting up, bringing a hand to nurse the aching pain that ricocheted in her head.

"Inuyasha kind of woke and threw you into a wall," Kagome answered somewhat regretfully. "I'm really sorry about this Ayame."

Her friend shrugged it off nonchalantly. "I provoked him and naturally he would be pissed off that a female kicked his ass." She rubbed her throbbing head. "But I want to know where all of the strength and agility came from? I thought hanyou were pushovers." She chuckled at her own stupidity. "Guess I should never underestimate my opponents huh?"

"I guess not." Kagome glanced over to where her husband lay. "That necklace you gave me really worked Kaede-san. Thank you."

Kaede smiled. "Tis not a problem my child." She turned to leave. "I will be preparing in the kitchen. Dinner will be in a couple of hours. And remember, that only ye will be able to remove the rosary from the hanyou's neck."

Inuyasha blinked in confusion at his position on the floor. How did he end up here? "Oi bitch! What the fuck am I doing on the floor?" he demanded, sensing her only a few feet away. He struggled to get up, but something was keeping him pinned to the floor. "Wench!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to inform you that my name isn't wench or bitch. And the reason you're on the floor is because Kaede-san gave me the rosary that is around her neck. And whenever you get out of hand or make me make me angry, all I have to say is one word and you'll go crashing to the ground."

"It's a leash dog boy, so get used to it," Ayame scoffed with a toothy grin.

Once the pull was gone, Inuyasha leapt to his feet and growled at the youkai. "I'm not done with you yet, you mangy wolf." He charged at her, fangs bared and claws outstretched.

"Sit boy," Kagome said. They laughed when a surprised Inuyasha made contact with floor for the second time that day and laughed even harder when he tried futilely to pick himself up, then resorted to obscenities to rid himself of his frustration.

"Well I for one am certainly glad that this whole scenario is over and done with," Miroku commented emerging from his hiding place in the living room.

"And why didn't you announce your presence earlier to give us a hand?" Ayame questioned with a quirk of the brow.

The monk grinned. "My lady, this is something to be watched from afar. And besides, I'm a lover not a fighter."

Kagome exchanged cynical looks with Ayame before venturing over to the fallen hanyou. She bent down and ruffled his mane playfully. "Well Inuyasha, I hope you like the taste of that floor, because I have a feeling that you will see a lot more of each other in the near future."

* * *

End. 

AN: Whew. That was fun. I'm going to have to work a lot harder on the Mir/San and Kouga/Ayame pairings. One problem with Ayame is that I've never seen what she looks like and don't know what her personality is like. So bear with me.

Anyway, since I have 3 essays due within the next couple of days, I won't get started on the next chapter until Tuesday. And since I have that day out because of elections, I'll have a lot of time on my hands. Maybe I'll even update sooner. -

Next chapter: The Scheme: For those of you that have patiently been waiting for the honeymoon, all I've got to say is that it's not far off. - Their parents will do anything keep these two together.

Review and let me know. Feedback is always appreciated. Until next time people! Ciao!

More reviews faster updates (motivation)


	8. The Scheme

**Disclaimer**: Don't ask, cuz I don't own.

AN: Anyway, I just want to thank you all for the wonderful reviews! You guys are great! Too bad my grades aren't. I've been slacking off a lot in classes and with my fics. I'm going down in most of all my classes. Has to be a major case of Senioritis ::sigh:: I don't even want to think about how I'm going to survive in college. Pray for me.

* * *

The Scheme

* * *

"OWW! Damnit wench that stings!" Inuyasha screamed as soon as the peroxide filled cloth made contact with his wound, and jumped out of the chair she had ordered him to sit on.

"Stop being such a baby Inuyasha!" Kagome grabbed a fistful of his white locks and yanked him back into his seat forcefully. After the incident in the foyer she had went to get the items necessary to dress his gash, then had practically dragged him into the currently unoccupied dining room to patch him up in private. There were only so many blows a guy could take to his ego in one day. And having her friends gawking and snickering while she babied him would only make things worse.

He slowly began to edge away from her. Pain was not something he wasn't accustomed to or something he liked to feel. Damn her for demeaning him like this. Inuyasha ducked when she tried to swab his face the cloth.

Kagome sighed. "You didn't hear me whining and yelling when you were cleaning my wounds."

"Yours were smaller," he growled glaring up at her, arms folded and ears twitching in annoyance.

"And I had more of them, so stay still and take it like a man."

"Hanyou," he corrected grumpily, but stopped trying to squirm his way out of her reach.

Rolling her eyes, she dabbed more of the liquid onto the cloth, then held back his bangs away from his face. His jaw was set in defiance and his amber eyes were averted away from her as he silently sulked. Kagome's gaze slid from his stubborn features to the ugly gash that marred his forehead. "Now brace yourself. This is going to sting a little," she said inwardly wincing at the sight of brutal looking abrasion.

Inuyasha yelped as soon as the peroxide tainted cloth connected with his injury, sending searing sensations spreading through his open wound like wild fire. The intoxicating fumes that was permeating from cloth was enough to make him pass out. He shook off a wave of nausea. How the hell did she endure this kind of pain? "Why are you doing this?" Inuyasha squeezed his words through clenched teeth. "Youkai heal faster than you wimpy humans."

"You don't want it getting infected do you?" she countered wiping away the dried blood that had streamed down the side of his face.

"Why do you care what happens to me?" he questioned irately, eyes narrowed to slits as he glared up at her and smirked in satisfaction when guilt flitted across her face. Served her right for inflicting such pain on him, now and all those years ago. Inuyasha frowned and shook the thoughts from his mind.

Kagome stopped what she was doing to look down at him. "Because," she started quietly, "its kind of my fault you got hurt. Ayame is just really overprotective. I should have told her what happened first before she jumped to any wild conclusions. I'm….I'm sorry."

Inuyasha blinked, surprised. He hadn't been expecting an apology. After all, he was one who had initiated the aggression when he had grabbed her forcefully. Disliking the guilt trip that his mind was sending him through, Inuyasha shifted all of his frustrations to the necklace around his neck. "If you're so sorry, take this stupid thing off of me." He growled when it sent an electric shock up his arm after he attempted to remove it himself.

"I think it looks good on you." Kagome continued wiping at his gash. "Besides, if you decide to go all rapid and red eyed on me and Ayame like you did a couple of minutes ago, I'll be able to subdue you. It was a request from Megumi-san."

Inuyasha scowled at how easily she would be able to control him with one word and ran a finger across the smooth surface of the beads, and was about to comment, but the smart retort froze on the tip of his tongue when the powerful smell of jasmine assaulted his senses as Kagome moved closer to him. Finished with cleaning his wound, she had moved on to bandaging, which required the proximity of their distance to close dramatically.

"See, the peroxide wasn't so bad was it?" Kagome made small talk, leaning over him so she could put the bandage on his now sterilized abrasion.

Inuyasha fought the arising heat that threatened to consume his face in flames, her chest only centimeters away from his lips. What the hell was wrong with him? He'd been around thousands of breasts, some of them bigger than hers. '_So_ _why am I reacting this way to her? I thought I had rid myself of all feelings for her years ag-_'

All mental deliberation ceased when accidentally she brushed against his thighs. Although the fabric of her jeans and his slacks separated their skin, Inuyasha could still feel the warmth that permeated off of her, sending many tiny tremors along his nervous system.

If it wasn't the closed space between them, or the intoxicating aroma of her scent soothing his body, mind, and soul, or the innocent yet teasing grazing of her fingers against the planes of his forehead as she applied the bandage, it would be the tenderness and sincerity emitting from her mesmerizing pools of endless blue. He would be lying if he said that her eyes had never entranced him in a world full of warmth and kindness.

Inuyasha could feel his heart pounding in his ears and his blood heating as ideas of pulling her into his lap and taking her for himself became more intense. '_No,_' he mentally shook his head in irritation, '_I've got to stop thinking of her. I hate Kagome_.' But it was becoming increasing difficult to detain the rampant emotions that craved the warmth and touch of the goddess like creature before him.

A barely audible growl rumbled in his throat, his anger and frustration piquing with every second that passed. Damn her for making him feel this way. "I don't need your fucking help!" he snarled suddenly jumping to his feet yet again and grabbed her wrists, unable to contain his aggravation and confusion for the raven haired girl in front of him any longer.

"What's the matter with you? Sit down-" Kagome stopped mid sentence realizing her mistake too late, for the beads had already begun glowing upon activation of the single word command and before she knew it, Inuyasha was wrenched to the floor with her being trapped under him.

"Get off of me you!" she yelled from underneath his heavy form, which was currently cutting off her air supply to her oxygen deprived lungs.

"I can't damnit!" Inuyasha snapped back hotly, the pull of the rosary still effectively keeping him pinned on top of her in a tangle of limbs. "If your stupid ass hadn't said the word we wouldn't be in this fucking predicament now!"

"Well you should have sat still so I could've finished bandaging your stupid injury instead of standing up like the moron you are!" Kagome shot back with equal vehemence, trying futilely to wiggle her way from under him. But it was to no avail. With her wrists still being victim of his tight grasp above her head and his hard body pressed against hers in a very compromising position, there was absolutely nothing they could do until the spell wore off.

"This is all of your fault," Inuyasha grumbled scowling at the female whose angry face was merely inches from his and struggled to ignore the affect her tantalizing scent was having on him. "If this stupid necklace wasn't holding me back, I would do more than scratch your arms for putting me through this humiliation." He felt his pulse begin to race.

Kagome smirked. "This is exactly why the rosary will stay where it is. You need to be house broken so that you can learn some decent manners and stop trying to attack every person that pisses you off. If you would stop being so impetuous…" She trailed off, her heart skipping a beat when she become aware of the way the hanyou was looking at her.

Those piercing amber eyes framed by thick, black lashes, which had only moments before been full of loathing and annoyance, a conflagrant window to his soul, revealingturbulent, indiscernible emotions that battled for dominance. She gulped nervously, anticipation unfolding within her belly. Kagome could feel the rhythmic and almost soothing beating of his heart through his silk shirt and blushed upon feeling his taut muscles rub against her stomach as he shifted his weight, relieving some of the pressure on her lungs.

Aware that he was still latched on to her wrists, Inuyasha loosened his hold, but didn't let go. '_She is still softer than any silk I have ever encountered_,' he mused to himself, his eyes still trained absorbedly on hers, which had begun swirling with a myriad of conflicting emotions that he couldn't begin decipher. The tantalizing aroma of jasmine sent him reeling, and left him light headed and dizzy as he drowned in her scent. Her supple mounds of soft flesh pressed against his hardened torso, rousing a familiar passion within the depths of himself that only she couldincite.

Kagome's breath hitched as his face came closer to hers. The caress of his warm breath against her lips sent tremors of pleasure and desire throughout her entire system. Her lips parted as she inhaled his spicy, masculine scent that seemed to envelope his entire being. Kagome stared into his sun kissed orbs that had become clouded over. Her heartbeat quickened. Kouga had never looked at her with such passion…and need. She bit her bottom lip. No, she couldn't go through this again. He'd broke her heart once already and she wasn't ready for second servings.

"Kagome," he whispered gently against her lips, wanting, needing to taste those luscious pouty lips that teased him endlessly. Unable to control his hunger for her any longer, Inuyasha bent down slowly to capture his her lips with his, practically tasting her sweetness in his mouth.

"So this is the reason you fight like cats and dogs. I always knew it had to be the make up sex." They both blinked, snapping out of their daze at the sound of the monk's voice.

Inuyasha's eyes cleared and focused, the reality of the situation permeating his skull. In a flash the hanyou was upright and several feet away from the one that had ensnared him a haze of desire and craving for her touch. Angry, confused and frustrated all at the same time, Inuyasha glared at his long time friend, who was casually leaning on the doorframe of the dining room, a knowing smile on his face. "Its not what it looks like you damn lecher!" he shouted, red beginning to stain his handsome face.

Miroku held up his hands. "Not need to stop on account of me. Please, continue, I'll just step out and tell Kaede-san to send your food to your room. But remember to keep the noise level to a minimum. I doubt everybody wants to hear you alls moans and groans of ecstasy while we're eat-"

"Would you get your fucking mind out of the gutter!" Inuyasha barked. He felt like ripping his hair out, infuriated with himself for losing control. What the hell had he been thinking?He couldn't let her get close again.He raked his claws through his hair. He needed a drink. A really strong drink. And maybe a smoke as well.

"He's right," Kagome affirmed climbing unsteadily to her feet. "I accidentally sat him and he kind of landed on top of me." She felt her face heating at the thought of just what occurred. She could still feel his long, muscular length sprawled across her, his body infusing hers with a warmth and security that she had forgotten existed.

"Whatever you say my friends," Miroku responded with a nonchalant shrug, but knowing full what had just transpired. The spell had probably long since worn off. And by the looks they had been exchanging with one another, something definitely was going on, even if it was unbeknownst to them. Miroku hid a grin. If only he could get Sango to look at him like that, then he would be able to die happy. "Come on folks, lunch is already on the table in the other dining room. We're all waiting for you two."

Both husband and wife stiffly followed the monk, walking many feet apart from each other, both silent, deep within their thoughts and both still flustered and flushed over what had just transpired.

A scowl marred the chiseled features of the hanyou as he stopped in his tracks, realizing that he had somewhere to be. Clarice was waiting for him at the club and thanks to the stupid wench he was late. "I'm not eating." He pivoted on his foot and headed toward the front door. "I have more important things to do than dine with you idiots."

With annoyance replacing embarrassment, Kagome turned to stare at the retreating hanyou. "I seriously doubt that if you fail to make an appearance at the club that it, in any form or fashion, will tarnish your image. Kaede-san put a lot of work into preparing this meal. the least you could do is show a little appreciation for all of her efforts."

Inuyasha stopped walking and turned to face her. "I don't give a damn about her efforts. Someone who belongs in an old fart's home doesn't need to be working here. Besides, Grandma can be easily replaced, preferably by someone a lot younger and a hell of a lot sexier that can cook and clean in a thong."

Miroku halted his steps immediately and whirled around, eagerness gleaming in his violet orbs. "I second that motion."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Even though I'm sure that Miroku would look very appealing preparing my meals in a thong," Kagome started, and silently laughed at the boys' horrified expressions, "Kaede-san is more than qualified for this position, minus the fancy panties." She wrinkled her nose at the thought.

Inuyasha's left ear twitched in aggravation. "Miroku wasn't exactly what I had in mind stupid," he responded tightly.

"I don't care what you had in mind, but you're going to eat her food."

He glared at her defiantly. "And if I decline?"

A slow smile spread across her face, mischief dancing in her bright azure eyes. "Then I will just have to say si-" Inuyasha, who had bolted towards her before she could finish, cut her off by clamping a hand over her mouth.

"I get your point bitch," he said in a low voice, towering over her lithe form in a very intimidating manner. He tried to ignore the effect her petal soft lips were having on his open palm. "We wouldn't want to have a repeat of what happened earlier now do we?"

Kagome's breath caught, and she silently cursed him for turning her insides to mush. His proximity was entirely too close. Summoning what little nerve she had left, Kagome smacked his hand away, and in retaliation, grabbed the beads that lay dormant around his neck, and jerked them down so that they were nose to nose. "You can't threaten me Inuyasha because I won't hesitate to say it, even if I go down with you. All I'm asking is that you eat a meal that Kaede-san has graciously prepared for us. Do this and then afterwards you can go drink yourself into a stupor for all I care."

"That's more your department than mine," the hanyou growled softly, then averted his gaze from her big, blue, pleading ones, trying futilely to discount the way they were tugging on his heartstrings.

"Please Inuyasha?" She gave him her best puppy dog face. Megumi-san had demonstrated how compliant he could be with the face.

"Keh. Whatever. But only 5 minutes," he grudgingly agreed, inwardly chastising himself for submitting unto her will. '_When the hell did I become so soft?_' he pondered as Miroku and Kagome led him into the dining hall, where everybody else had begun eating.

Kagome could only hope that this meal would go smoothly as she took a seat beside Sango.

Kouga glared accusingly at the hanyou as he sat down stiffly across from him. "What the hell were you doing with my woman mutt face?"

"None of your damn business, that's what," Inuyasha retorted and began hefting heaps of oden into his bowl.

The wolf youkai would have brushed off the rude come back and engaged conversation with the object of his affection had something not been off. Kouga frowned and took a good whiff of the scent that was exuding from the individual across from him. Cobalt orbs hardened with suppressed fury at the fact that the enticing scent of his woman was clinging to the hanyou. A low growl rumbled deep within Kouga's chest, his fangs slowly beginning to emerge. "Inukuro, why do you seem to be bathed in Kagome's scent."

Miroku coughed, thoroughly hiding his snickers. This ought to be good.

Both Ayame and Sango raised inquisitive brows in their friend's direction, their interest piqued. Had they finally gotten over their hatred over each other? Kagome really did work fast.

Kagome slouched in her chair, desperately wanting the floor to open up and swallow her whole. What had she done to deserve this?

Ignoring the wolf's question, Inuyasha slurped the noodles slowly, smacking his lips as soon as they disappeared into his mouth, which only added fuel to the fire that had been sparked within Kouga. His eyes began to flash red as the hanyou continued to blatantly snub him. "Dog face, I believe I asked you a question," he ground out through clenched teeth, bridling the desire to leap across the table and pummel the stupid mutt into the ground.

Inuyasha dabbed the corners of his mouth with a cloth.

But Kouga wasn't the only one who was angered by the hanyou's lack of response. With fists balled, Ayamecame to her love's aid. "You lowly mutt, answer Kouga when he's addressing you!" she growled.

Inuyasha lazily dragged his amber gaze from his bowl of food to the fierce green eyes of the angry female youkai that was disrupting the meal he had been so reluctant to come to in the first place. Setting his bowl back down on the table with the utmost care, the dog eared hanyou turned up his sleeves, his eyes still trained on hers. "I am going to say this once and only once so listen up. You are all fucking guests in this house, therefore your asses need to act like so. I won't be pestered by some half witted wolves," he sneered at them both, "lest you want your stinking hides on the streets where you belong. Since this is my house, I will do whatever I want, and that includes choosing not to respond to the idiotic remarks of wolves that don't know their place."

Kagome shot out of her chair and grabbed on to Kouga's tail, who had lunged across the table snarling, with claws extended and ready to rip her husband apart for his insolence, while Sango tackled Ayame to the floor before she could attack the foul-mouthed hanyou who had degraded her kind and the one she loved.

Sipping his tea delicately, Miroku observed the chaotic scene with much amusement. Who wouldn't want to see two females writhing and wrestling on the floor? A peverted smile crept onto his face as Sango's shirt inched its way up as she tried to restrain a furious Ayame from beating the crap out of Kagome's husband.

Miroku took another sip. Yes, Kami-sama was good.

"Ayame, stop acting like an idiot!" Sango tightened her grip around her friends waist.

"How dare that insolent hanyou fool insult Kouga!" she growled furiously, trying to extricate herself from her friend's grasp.

"Do you really think you will be able to win him over acting like an over obsessive and possessive fanatic!" Sango said in a voice that only her friend would be able to hear.

Ayame stopped thrashing, her green orbs widening in realization and alarm. Sango knew about her crush on him? But how?

"Stop this Kouga-kun!" Kagome pleaded, still hanging on to his tail to prevent him from jumping onto a smug Inuyasha. "He isn't worth it so calm down and act like you have some sense! When I accidentally activated the subduing spell locked in the rosary around his neck, he kind of toppled on top of me, which is why my scent is all over him!"

Inuyasha snorted and crossed his arms. "Wench, you don't need to explain yourself to that dirty wolf who doesn't know when to give up pursuing a girl that clearly has no interest in him."

Caught off guard by his answer, her grip on the wolf's tailloosened, allowingKouga to launch himself in a fury across the table at the smirking hanyou. She groaned in exasperation as both youkai tumbled to the floor in a flurry of flying fists, extended claws, and snarls. For two full grown males, they acted as though they were in preschool and needed to be sent to time out.

"You bastard how dare you say Kagome has no feelings for me!" Kouga snarled, his hands clamped rigidly around his opponent's neck. "She and I shared a love that will never be surpassed by an unfeeling piece of crap such as yourself."

Inuyasha embedded his claws into his adversary's wrists as he attempted to remove the wolf's death grip from his neck. "Are you sure about that? Because the way I see it was that your so called love was only one sided."

Kagome inwardly flinched. How did Inuyasha know that? She hadn't even told her best friends about that little fact. So how did her arch nemesis come to acquire that knowledge?

The clearing of a throat halted the tumultuous activity of the two males, as well as the exchanging of insults momentarily. Kaede stared at the rambunctious young people and the disarray they had produced. Shattered crystal glasses and fine China bowls lay scattered across the floor. The hand stitched tablecloth had been shredded in several places. If this was any indication of how hard she would be cleaning up after them in the future, Kami-sama help her.

She shook her head. That would have to wait. There were more pressing matters at hand. "There's been an accident at Higurashi Takeda Corporations. Both Inuyasha and Kagome are needed immediately at the main building."

"Is everything ok? Are our parents going to be alright? They aren't hurt in any way are they?" Kagome pressed as panic tightened in her chest.

Inuyasha pushed Kouga off of him and stood from the floor, worry replacing the arrogance and anger that had been blazing in his golden gaze only moments ago. "What's happened?" he demanded brashly, hoping the fear he felt didn't give him away in his tone.

"I don't know all of the details, but I do know that its serious and that ye are needed right away," Kaede replied wringing her hands nervously.

Not needing to be told twice, both Inuyasha and Kagome bolted out of the dining hall and sprinted to the garage. Being the faster of the two, Inuyasha flung open the door and flew to his car. Jumping into his blood red Ferrari, he jammed the key into the ignition and started the engine. "Come on, we'll take my car. Its faster," Inuyasha said gruffly to his companion that had finally entered the garage as he activated the automatic garage door opener.

Without a second thought, Kagome clambered into the passenger side and before she could shut the door, he had already took off tearing out of the garage and onto the long, winding driveway. Fear for her parents safety twisted knots in her stomach. Just the thought of them lying in a hospital bed was enough to make her nauseous.

The vigor of the wind whipping about her face helped as Inuyasha's Ferrari hurtled down the street helped stabilize the bile that had risen in her throat, but did nothing for the tears that had begun pricking the back of her eyes.

Kagome blinked the tears away as a warm, calloused hand covered her own. Ripping her gaze from her lap, she turned to stare at its owner. Long silvery white hair billowed against the thrashing of the wind and framed his beautifully chiseled face, that was at the moment tight with tension and worry. Had she not been in a state of anxiety, she would've marveled in how gorgeous the hanyou could be when he wasn't sporting his typical scowl on his face.

Sensing her questionable gaze, Inuyasha threw her sidelong glance. Uncertainty and trepidation clouded her usual warm and exuberant striking blue eyes. He hated seeing her so downhearted and in low spirits. It was such a stark contrast to the bubbly and fiery minx he was used to seeing.

A strong urge to protect her was aroused within himself. Inuyasha stroked her knuckles tenderly, wordlessly reassuring Kagome that everything would be alright, even though he wasn't certain himself. Tearing his eyes from her porcelain like figure, he stomped on the accelerator, increasing the speed from 100 to 150 in five seconds flat.

* * *

It took less than ten minutes for them to arrive at the dome shaped building that had just recently been erected. The tension increased tenfold with every step that was taken as Inuyasha and Kagome ran inside of the building. After the secretary at the front desk told them where their parent's quarters were located, they immediately raced toward the elevators that several minutes later took them to the top floor.

Without a moment's delay, both husband and wife sped from the elevator and to the double doors that would lead to the interior of their parents' offices. Jerking the brass doors open, Inuyasha entered with Kagome at his heels. His jaw dropped in shock. He had expected to find the adults on their deathbed or bleeding or at least unconscious, not engaged in card game and drinking tea.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Inuyasha demanded.

"Oh, Inuyasha, Kagome, you've decided to join us," Megumi said with a smile while lifting the tea cup to her lips. "Let us just finish up this card game and we'll be right with you."

"Well I've got nothing," Ryo gave in bitterly throwing his cards on the table. "We might as well start now."

"Now, now darling. Just because you're about to lose doesn't mean that this game is over," Hitomi responded grinning like a Cheshire cat behind her winning hand.

"I'm out as well." Inutaisho tossed his hand on the table. "Our women are bleeding us dry Higurashi."

"Don't I know it," Ryo replied dully pulling out his empty pockets. He should have known better than to challenge Megumi and his wife to a game of poker. He never won when he played those two. "Stupid American card game."

Kagome's eye twitched in annoyance. This was definitely unexpected. "You called us all the way down here acting as though something life threatening was occurring and you're in the middle of a poker game?"

"Why, this is life threatening," Inutaisho defended. "Both of these women have taken a combined 50,000 yen from us both."

Inuyasha balled his hands into fists, struggling to remain composed amongst the utter idiocy and absurdity of their situation. Taking a calming breath, he turned on his heel, intent on leaving immediately. "I'm gone."

"Stop right there boy!" Inutaisho bellowed rising to his feet. "I haven't dismissed you yet."

"Why the hell are we here!" he yelled whirling around to face his father. "You get us all worked up over a damn tea party?"

"Inuyasha, watch your tone with your father," Megumi chided in a cool tone and placed her cards on the table. "You have a right to be angry, but that does not warrant for foul language in the presence of your parents and in laws." Her gaze softened. "Now both of you, come over here. We have an announcement to make."

Warily, Inuyasha and Kagome made their way to the grand oak desk and took a seat side by side in front of the grown-ups.

Hitomi cocked her head to the side as she took in the altered demeanor in both of the young people. "You know, this is the first time that you two have gone five minutes without fighting or bickering."

"We were under the impression that the gravity of the situation would be serious," Kagome answered tartly, all of the panic and tension she had been feeling being substituted for chagrin and impatience. "Why did you tell Kaede-san that there had been an accident and we were needed here immediately?"

Ryo grinned sheepishly. "We wanted both of you to arrive here in a timely manner. And it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Tell us of this announcement so that I can leave. I do have a life that I would like to get back to," Inuyasha said folding his arms.

Megumi raised a brow at their impatience. "Well then I'll cut right to the chase. Since the two of you will be prominent associates in this business and will eventually take over when we step down, we feel as though it is imperative that you all become familiar with the way things work. Both of you are or will be attending Tokyo University in the fall and don't have anything else planned for the rest of summer."

"So," Inutaisho took over, "we have decided that it would be best if we allow you all to experience first hand some of the techniques and methods that are utilized in this specific work field. Starting in a few days from now, you will be conducting marketing and business internships at a base that is located in Hawaii."

"There you will learn and be trained by qualified professionals that will work with you on a one to one basis," Hitomi finished. "So how does that sound?"

The young adults stared at their parents blankly for a second.

"I hope you'rekidding," Inuyasha spoke up first. "Because it would be cruel and unusual punishment to be stuck on some remote island away from all of my friends and work with a bunch of geeks for the duration of my summer vacation."

"We're not kidding Inuyasha," Megumi replied, her face serious. "This is for your best interest so that you will have a heads up when you eventually take over the company with Kagome."

"Why can't we do the internships with you guys?" Kagome asked slowly. This was just all to much. She hadn't planned on doing actual work this summer.

"With this new merger, planning and preparations need to be made in order to secure this new corporation in the business realm. We, along with your brother, Inuyasha, are too busy to help train you two," Ryo proclaimed. "Our associates in Hawaii are perfect for the job."

"When does this internship begin?" Inuyasha asked, half afraid of the answer.

"Your plane leaves tomorrow at 4pm," was Ryo's response.

Inuyasha almost fell out of his chair. "What! You can't be serious! When were you planning on telling us this! Have I not informed you that I have a life, that does not revolve your stupid company!" He growled and stood to his feet.

"Sit down boy!" Inutaisho barked irately. "What have I told you about raising your voice?"

The hanyou muttered a 'sorry' but refused to sit back down, and instead, chose to pace.

Megumi sighed. "I know that this is a lot to take in, but it is necessary for the sake of the future of this company. Now please, Inuyasha, take your seat."

Kagome rolled her eyes when he still declined to obey his parents. "Inuyasha, just sit d-" She winced at her ignorance as the rosary pulled the pacing hanyou to the floor. She really needed to watch what she said.

"Ahh, so that's the subduing spell that I ordered Kaede-san to give you," Inutaisho mused aloud whilst stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Not bad if I do say so myself."

"Unfortunately, if you may remember that our son has…problems in dealing with vast amounts of frustration and pent up anger, which results in the demon side of his blood overtaking his human and thus, turning him into a full blooded demon that is unable to control his temperament, judgment, and actions," Megumi responded somewhat broodingly. "That was how he got expelled from five different schools when he was younger. But after we had him take a series of anger management classes, Inuyasha has gotten better at controlling his fury."

"At the moment, we are having one of our employees, Toutousai, to design something that will be able to control his demon blood when it gets out of hand. And figuring that this new arrangement will only add to his aggravations and ire, we had Kaede-san give us a temporary means to restrain his demon side," Inutaisho explained.

Kagome shuddered when she thought back earlier that day when Inuyasha had turned all red eyed and rapid on her and Ayame. Full youkai like Ayame and Kouga could control their youkai nature, but with Inuyasha being only a hanyou, would prove most difficult for him. Her heart went out to him. It wasn't his fault that he had ended up like he was and she shouldn't take advantage of his current situation with the rosary.

She bent down to the facedown form of the hanyou, intent on apologizing, but never got the chance. As soon as the spell wore off, Inuyasha leapt to his feet angrily and whirled around to face her. "What the hell did you do that for wench! Watch your damn mouth!"

Kagome swallowed the apology, her irritation taking its place. "I was going to say I'm sorry-"

"Well sorry ain't enough!" he snapped.

"Which is why I kept it to myself!" she retorted fervidly.

"Why don't you keep this stupid necklace to yourself!"

"Because you need it!"

"The hell I do!"

"The hell you don't!"

"And this is exactly why this internship is needed," Hitomi stated shaking her head at the quarrelsome two. "Higurashi Takeda Corporations is the lead technological innovator in the world. Our products are the number one retail on the market and few of our competitors can match or even surpass our high quality merchandise. And with this merger, we will be able to go above and beyond the norm. But we won't be able to do this if you two aren't properly trained and don't cooperate with one another."

"In other words, pack your bags tonight and get all of your good-byes out of the way." Megumi slid two envelopes across the table. "These are your plane tickets. And do make sure that you all are on time. We wouldn't want you missing your flight."

Kagome pouted and turned to her father for support. "Daddy, do I have to go? Sango, Ayame, and I were all planning on going traveling this summer."

"I'm afraid so sweetheart. But I'm sure that you will have a fun time." A twinkle sparkled in his brown eyes. "You could think of it as a honeymoon with work on the side."

"She's not the one I had in mind," Inuyasha muttered to himself and thought of what Clarice LeBeau would have to say. So much for three weeks alone on a secluded island with his sexy French mistress.

After realizing that trying to persuade their parents to change their mind was pointless, Inuyasha and Kagome stalked out of the office angrily, but not without the plane tickets in hand.

Ryo released a heavy sigh as they slammed the double doors behind them. "So you really think that this training will be enough to solidify their liaison?"

"It should be, both husband/wife and associate wise," Inutaisho assured settling down in the recently abandoned seat. "And once their fall term begins at the university, they can work here part time. If the employees don't accept the unification of both of our companies through our children, we're going to have a very big problem on our hands and I'm not talking about the staff not trusting one another."

"Naraku," Hitomi stated darkly.

The taiyoukai nodded solemnly. "His company is becoming increasingly aggressive and is increasing in revenue with every day that passes. He will do almost anything to guarantee his company's success in the business world."

"He can't buy us out yet can he?" Megumi voiced her concern nervously.

Ryo shook his head. "Not yet. But if things don't go according to plan, there's no telling what might ensue. All we can do is hope that our kids can overcome their differences and bring this company out of its momentary slump."

* * *

In front of the big, dome shaped building, a pair of crimson eyes trailed after two bickering individuals as they climbed into a red Ferrari. A twisted half smile curved onto the owner of the blood red irises' lips as the car barreled out of the parking lot and onto the busy intersection. '_Soon_,' the person thought smirking, '_very soon, then it will all be mine_.'

End.

* * *

**AN**: By now, you're probably wondering about a lot of things. Like what happened in Kagome's and Inuyasha's past and why their parents lied to them about their company booming when in actuality it is waning and who the mysterious figure was that was staring at the couple as they exited the building, (though I'm sure most of you already know who it is -)

All will be revealed in the future. So stay tuned. More drama and suspense to come!

Next Chapter: The Quandary: I can't say much on it, just that I hope you all like suspense and trepidation.

Drop me a few lines and tell me what you think! I thrive on feedback. It gives me so much confidence. J

Ciao for now!


	9. The Orphan

**Disclaimer**: You would've guessed that you've got the picture by now. Me no own.

**AN:** Sorry for the late update. You know how it is. School. Homework. PROM!!! - I'm going to prom and have been searching for the perfect dress for two weeks. And I've found it and its absolutely gorgeous and it only cost $300.…and that's on sale. ::sigh:: I'm so lucky to have a stepfather that is able to convince my mother to buy me such lavish things. : D

Anyway, thanks so much for all of your reviews! They totally make my day and I'm glad you all seem to enjoy this fic so much. You all make me so happy. ::throws cookies at reviewers:: That's why I made this chappie kind of long. I hope you find it to your enjoyment!

* * *

The Orphan

* * *

"So how long have you known?" she asked her companion in a soft tone, her green orbs fixated on the portrait of a sunset that hung undisturbed in its dormant state above the full length mirror. Once they Kaede reassured them that nothing serious had happened to the loved ones of their friends, everyone else had graciously aided Kaede in straightening up the dining hall they had virtually destroyed as a result of their childish antics. Then both she and Sango had departed to her room to discuss the events that took place in solitude.

Sango shifted uncomfortably on the queen sized bed as she deliberated over how she would reveal that she had known one of her best friends possessed a secret crush on the boyfriend of the other's. "Well-"

"It hasn't been long, I swear!" Ayame whipped around with her interjection before she could finish. "It's just some stupid infatuation that will eventually be reduced to nothing. You know I would never betray Kagome like that! I'd rather die than to be disloyal to one of my friends over some stupid male!"

"Shhh, Ayame. You don't want to alert the entire household do you?" She scooted over and wrapped a comforting arm around the wolf youkai's shoulder. "I know you would never dream of hurting Kagome so stop beating yourself up over it."

Unshed tears began to brim the red head's eyes as she leaned onto Sango's shoulder for support. The complexity of the situation was almost too much to bear. "But I just can't rid myself of feelings for Kouga. I'm so confused and feel so helpless, because not matter how much I try to discourage and tell myself that he belongs to someone else, I can't help having these overwhelming feelings for him. He's always in my mind. Every time I sleep, his handsome face constantly lingers in my dreams. Every time I'm awake, I always imagine him by my side to the point where I can practically smell his husky, masculine scent. Every time I-"

"Ok, ok, I get the point," Sango cut in, her brow furrowing in contemplation. She had no clue Ayame felt so strongly about Kouga. She had written if off as something akin to puppy love or a small crush, not something along the lines of obsession.

Sango grinned and snapped her fingers in realization as a idea popped into her mind. "Why don't we go out to the club tomorrow? I'm sure that you'll meet a youkai just as sexy as Kouga there," she suggested, a hopeful lilt in her voice.

Ayame sniffled and lifted her head to meet the gentle brown eyes of her friend, misery and unhappiness encasing her usual exuberant emerald gaze. "Don't you think I've tried? That's why none of my relationships have never worked out. I keep thinking of him." She brought her long legs onto the bed and hugged them to herself. "What am I supposed to do Sango? I've never felt this way about any guy before. I want him to acknowledge my love." She paused before continuing. "I want him to become my mate."

Pity welled up inside the taijiya's chest for the pathetic soul that sat in a dejected lump beside her. She had never seen Ayame so melancholy before and it was really disconcerting to see her as such when the wolf youkai was usually overflowing with energy and spirit. Sango's chest heaved. She had never been in love before, therefore couldn't begin to fathom what her friend must be going through now. The closest she had ever been to developing strong feelings for a guy had been Miroku, formerly known as the geeky and skinny little dork who had continuously persued her in his adolescence. But the little crush she had for him had deflated after she had seen what a flirtatious pervert he was.

Sango cringed at the awakening of childhood memories of the monk. Some things were better left in the past. Her mind refocused to the problem at hand. "Why don't you just tell Kagome how you feel about Kouga. She would be more than understanding to your situation."

"She would never give up someone as wonderful as Kouga," Ayame muttered despondently and burrowed her face in the warmth of her thighs. "She's head over heels in love with him."

A smirk played on Sango's lips. She knew full well the extent of the love Kagome had for the handsome wolf youkai and it didn't run as deep as Ayame thought it did. Being the perceptive taijiya that she was, she had seen first hand how one sided their relationship was. "I have a feeling that Kagome wouldn't mind if you tried to take a shot at Kouga. Her feelings for him have pretty much waned to a comfortable friendship. And need I remind you that she is a married woman."

Sniffling, the red head lifted her face from the warmth of her legs to meet the comforting gaze of her long time friend, hope beginning to illuminate her visage. "Are you absolutely positive that Kagome only thinks of him as a friend and not a lover?" she inquired hesitantly. The last thing she wanted to do was come between that special bond two people shared, even if it meant conceding defeat unto the warring emotions that raged incessantly in her heart over the love of Kouga.

"I'm beyond certain." Sango smiled and hugged her friend encouragingly. "Now wipe those tears from your eyes and go tell your future mate about your feelings for him after you talk to Kagome."

Ayame returned the heartening gesture with a grin and blinked away unshed tears. "Ok then. I'll do it." She stood to her feet with a renewed sense of willpower and determination sparkling in her emerald green eyes. "Thanks Sango, I'm going to go find Kagome as soon as she gets back." With confidence oozing from her aura, Ayame marched out of the room doggedly, passionately fixated on her current goal of obtaining the heart of the love of her life. And nothing was going to stand in her way…that is if Kagome gave her permission of course.

Sango sighed thoughtfully to herself once her friend exited the room. 'If only I could solve my relationship problems as easily as Ayame,' Sango mused wistfully, her thoughts turning to a certain perverted monk whose invitation to dinner still stood.

* * *

Inuyasha shifted gears and stomped on the accelerator fervently, his livid thoughts flying through his head almost as fast as his vehicle was traveling on the two lane highway. '_How dare they dictate what I have to do and what I can't do_,' he thought gritting his teeth angrily. 'I_ am a fucking adult and they still treat me like some naive whelp who needs to be constantly reprimanded and told what to do_.'

He cursed and braked suddenly upon realizing that he was practically on the bumper of the car in front of his Ferrari. Shifting gears, he switched lanes aggressively and bypassed the slow car that was cruising at a painstakingly slow speed before returning to his original lane. Inuyasha growled and gripped the steering wheel. Bastards. That's what they were for making him give up his entire summer to spend on the stupid islands where he would be forced to do actual work and be cut off from the rest of the world, including his French fox. He wondered how he would tell his mistress that he would be going on a two month trip to Hawaii with his wife instead of her.

Inuyasha inwardly winced, virtually hearing the French model cursing him out with in her beautiful language. He had told Clarice he would be taking her out of the country soon for a vacation. Just the two of them and now he had to go back on his word.

Inuyasha sighed, and wondered if she liked chocolates and flowers. Maybe if he buttered her up enough she would eventually forgive him for going back on his promise to take her on a vacation, for ignoring her calls the past couple of weeks, and for getting married to his arch rival.

His snow white ears twitched atop his head, causing a silver brow to arch in incredulity at the silence that engulfed the interior of the car. It had been a full fifteen minutes and Kagome had yet to say a word, save for when they had had that brief argument upon exiting the company over who should drive back since she believed he was too reckless a driver. And since Kagome couldn't drive without a key, which he had purposely withheld from her reach, in the end he had been the one driving back.

With her uncharacteristic silence unnerving him to some extent, Inuyasha glanced inquisitively at her slack form out the corner of his eye, and frowned after a moment. She was staring out of the window with unseeingly, her eyes clouded over with unreadable emotions that flicked almost erratically through her blue depths before returning to an impassive state.

Inuyasha's frown deepened. She still couldn't be upset over something as trivial as him choosing to drive them back home instead of her…could she? He should be happy that she wasn't pestering him with her inane chatter. So why was he so disturbed by her silence? Inwardly groaning and fed up with her atypical behavior he spoke up. "Oi bitch, what the hell is your problem?" he asked roughly.

Kagome blinked, coming back to reality at the sound of Inuyasha's gruff voice. "What do you mean?" she countered with another question.

An impatient snort escaped through his nose. "I meant what the hell is wrong with you? Why aren't you talking my damn ears off like you usually do?"

Kagome hid a small smile, detecting the not so obvious concern he had for her hidden in his rough demeanor. But the smile wilted after a moment, and she turned her attention back to passing scenery. "I'm just thinking about stuff."

Inuyasha drummed his claws edgily on the steering wheel when she didn't offer anything more. "Would you care to elaborate?" he questioned once more, sarcasm laced in his every word.

She chose to ignore his blatant cynicism and continued to stare out of the window. "This summer has turned out so differently than what I had expected it to. I thought I would be spending time with my friends just hanging out and having fun." A wry smile curved on her lips. "I never imagined that I would be forced to marry you and have to undergo rigorous training to prepare us to take over the company. It all just seems so…surreal, like my imagination is working overtime or this is some bad dream that I have yet to wake up from."

Kagome yelped in surprise when he nipped her wrist with two clawed fingers. "What did you do that for?" she hissed at him angrily while stroking the stinging area on her flesh that had just been pinched.

"I only wanted to assure you that you are very much awake," he smirked at her response, his amused amber orbs trained on the annoyance that swirled in her misty blue orbs.

"Well aren't you a saint," she grumbled averting her gaze to the countryside once more.

"Is this the thanks I get for reassuring you of your mental-"

"Inuyasha! Look out!" Kagome shouted unexpectedly and yanked the steering wheel out of his grasp to the left, narrowly missing a tiny creature that had just scurried onto the road.

The car swerved dangerously and began to veer onto the grassy landscape. Kagome screamed bloody murder and clutched the dashboard for dear life. She was too young to die.

"Would you shut the hell up!" Inuyasha snapped and smartly slammed on the brake pedal, the force of the swift braking maneuver resulting in both occupants of the vehicle being jerked abruptly back onto the headrests.

Kagome bit into her bottom lip hard to restrain herself from screaming any further while the hanyou calmly and skillfully steered the Ferrari so that it wouldn't change direction any longer. As the speed decreased, the car skidded across the grass and finally came to an abrupt halt.

"What the fuck were you thinking taking the wheel out of my hand? If this car had flipped over or if the engine had blown, you could've gotten your stupid self killed! And for a damn squirrel?" He cut the engine and turned to glare at her, and immediately felt bad for snapping at her.

Kagome sat with white knuckles as she gripped the edge seat, shaking slightly from the pure adrenaline and fear from the whole situation, her eyes wide with shock. That had been the closest near death encounter she had ever experienced. What a rush. She could still feel her blood pumping heatedly through her veins, making her light headed and slightly dizzy. That had been the first shock, the second coming when Inuyasha cupped her chin gently with one hand, tilting and turning her head so that she faced him. Kagome gulped nervously, her eyes darting from the hand that rested lightly on her jaw to the unreadable expression in his eyes.

"There'd better not be blood on my new rims wench," he murmured dragging the calloused pad of his thumb over her bottom lip, effectively wiping away the blood she had drawn at some point during the incident, then got out of the car, leaving a confused and flustered Kagome poised in his departure.

She licked away, with a certain amount of disgust, what was left of the acrid tasting blood on her lip. '_Was Inuyasha just being nice to me_?' Kagome thought with a half smile as she followed his lead and got out of the car. Inhaling the sweet fragrance of nature as a cool breeze swept passed her, she threw a quick glance at the hanyou, who was currently crouched on all fours scrutinizing his precious and expensive rims, before venturing over toward the road where it all took place.

A frown tugged at her lips. She could see the skid marks where they had veered off into the grass, but there was no sign of the little creature that had ran onto the road. Had it only been a figment of her imagination? The scowl deepened. Maybe it had ran off. Shrugging it off, Kagome turned to go back over to the Ferrari, when a huge fur ball launched itself up her shirt.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs as the thing burrowed itself underneath of her shirt. She screamed again when she felt little claws grasp onto her abdomen.

The hanyou was by her side in a flash, worry and agitation flickering in his sunlit eyes upon hearing her screams. His eyes hardened when he saw the lump nestled inside of her shirt, his anger spiking at the prospect of anything that dared to touch what was his. That thing obviously had a death wish.

With fangs bared and a throaty growl rumbling through his chest, Inuyasha pulled up her shirt and yanked whatever had burrowed itself against her flat stomach, his claws more than ready to shred it to pieces. He flung the creature to the ground and placed a foot on its furry body to make sure it didn't escape.

The furry creature squirmed fruitlessly under the pressure of his shoe, trying to no avail to flee from its oppressor, before breaking down in tears, much to the surprise of husband and wife.

"Wait Inuyasha, its crying." Kagome immediately bent down and smacked away his foot to get a better look at the poor defenseless creature that had laid pinned beneath his shoe. Her heart melted when she locked eyes with the kitsune. Big, teary green eyes stared uncertainly up at her. His wild flaming red hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail with a blue bow. His miniature clothing was torn in several places and caked in dried mud. Streaks of dirt and tears marred his innocent face and small clawed hands. Both his bushy tail and pointed ears twitched curiously, bringing a smile to his savior's face.

"Can I kill it now?" Inuyasha inquired dryly, apparently unaffected by the innocent and cute visage of the young child.

Kagome shot him a glare and scooped up the kitsune in her arms protectively. "No you can't kill him. He's just a child Inuyasha."

"A child who almost trashed my Ferrari, nearly ruined my rims, and could have gotten you killed." Inuyasha glowered at the kit, who squeaked and buried his face in her arms.

Kagome ignored him and turned her attention to the scared bundle in her arms. "Its ok little one, I won't let the mean hanyou hurt you," she crooned softly to the child.

Inuyasha's ear twitched in annoyance. She called him mean and he was the one who saved her from the thing that had jumped into her shirt. He clenched his fists, restraining, to some extent, his anger at the memory of the kit burrowing itself into her. The little fiend. Inuyasha made a mental note to kick the crap out of the kid for all the stress he was causing him when Kagome wasn't looking.

The kitsune hesitantly lifted its head from the warmth of her arms to look her in the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. They were giant pools of blue, sparkling with an endless supply of warmth and compassion. The sight of her soulful orbs and the calming scent of jasmine that exuded from her entire being settled the kitsune's distraught spirit.

Kagome cocked her head to the side and smiled caringly at him. "Do you have a name little one?"

A light blush crept onto the kit's cheeks. She was so nice. "Shippou," he said shyly.

"Well then _Shippou_," Inuyasha spat his name, "why the hell did you go running out onto the road like an idiot? If Kagome hadn't turned the wheel when she had, you would've been a pancake by now, which would've been fine by me."

Water began to well up in Shippou's eyes. "They're dead. They're all dead. My papa, my mama, my sisters and brothers. They're all dead." Fat droplets of tears rolled down his face. "The ugly scaled youkai ripped them all apart. I tried to beat him with my fox fire, but…but he was just too strong, and I had to run." Sniffling, he buried his face in arms once more. "I couldn't save them…I was too weak," came his muffled voice from the warmth of her limbs.

The annoyance and irritation that had been boiling inside of Inuyasha toward the kitsune was almost immediately replaced by pity for the young child and spite for the youkai who killed his family. His golden gaze swept across the road and into the woodland where Shippou had fled from. No doubt the bastard who had done this was still lingering around somewhere in there. The faint smell of blood clung to the kit, further inciting his anger. "Kagome, get in the car and stay there till I get back," he ordered in a low voice, never taking his eyes from the dense forest.

Kagome stared at his rigid profile, amazed at how he could be childish and immature ass one second, then a valiant hero the next. "Good luck," she said in an equally low tone, then reluctantly retreated to the vehicle with Shippou, whose soft sobbing had been reduced to sniffles.

"I won't need it," she heard him mutter before dashing heedlessly into the thicket without a backwards glance.

* * *

"So what are you going to do with him?" Sango asked after her friend had relayed the events that had transpired over the course of the afternoon, her heart going out to the poor kitsune that lay snoring softly beneath the satin sheets on Kagome's bed.

Sighing, Kagome stopped throwing clothes into her suit case to look at the vulnerable child buried under the layers of sheets, her blue eyes laden with pity and helplessness. "I don't know," she replied softly. "After we reported the incident to the police, they said that we should just give him up for adoption and put him into foster care. But I don't want to because there's no telling how long he'll be staying there. He has no other family he can go to and I don't want to leave him alone in the care of strangers. So I offered to look after him until they could find suitable foster parents."

Ayame frowned. "How do you know he has no other relatives?"

Kagome's throat tightened at the mention of his other family members. When Inuyasha had returned from woods, she had immediately noted the solemn expression on his face and the emptiness in his usually bright golden eyes. She had also seen the faint blood stains on his claws that he had failed to rid himself of. "There were no survivors," she explained in a barely audible voice. "Apparently some kind of reptilian youkai who wanted their pelts attacked his family while they had been on a picnic and slaughtered them right in front of Shippou. The poor guy was the only one who survived."

There was a brief silence on their part as her words sunk in before Sango spoke up. "I guess you can say this is one of the reasons why I want to uphold my heritage by becoming a taijiya just like my forefathers. Vile youkai that slaughter innocent families for no apparent reason don't deserve to live and I intend to make sure they don't." Her eyes hardened with determination.

Smiles appeared on both Kagome and Ayame's faces. This was the first time they had ever heard Sango speak with such passion about becoming a taijiya. Usually she was always complaining about her family burdening her down with their traditions and what they wanted her to become instead of letting her choose her own destiny.

Kagome's smile waned a bit as she thought about her predicament. At least one of them could be happy with carrying on their family business. Shifting her attention back to task at hand, Kagome began stuffing her suitcases with more clothes and shoes. "Take care of Shippou while I'm gone guys. I'm counting on you all to be there for him since I'm going to be gone most of the summer."

"You can count on us Kagome-chan," Ayame announced confidently. "Us wolf youkai treat our young with the utmost care and protection. And I plan to take care of the kit as if he were one of our own. So have no fear Kagome, for I, and Sango too of course, will take good care of Shippou."

The hardened expression on Sango's face melted at Ayame' s proclamation. "She's right Kag. We'll look after him, no charge." A sly grin spread across her face as she remembered something she wanted to give her before she left for her trip. "Oh, and before I forget…" She came to her feet and pulled a small package from her pocket. "Here, maybe this will come into handy during the course of your stay on the islands."

"Sango!" Kagome choked out in mortification upon realizing what they were, her face turning as red as a tomato. "I doubt that we will need condoms. I don't even like the guy." She wrinkled her nose in disgust and tossed the small package back at her.

Ayame rolled her eyes. "Oh, Kagome, come of it. You know you two are going to end up getting down and dirty sooner or later. Sango maybe you should give her a box instead. You know inuyoukai have that outstanding stamina." And broke out into a fit of giggles when the raven haired girl's face turned a darker shade of red, if that were even possible.

"I'll just leave it here for the time being. Tell me if you need anymore." She placed the package on the bed and began to take her leave. "But you never know Kag.Phenomenal things happen in the strangest places.Maybe it will come when you two are taking a midnight stroll on the beach under the light of the full moon."

The wolf youkai laughed even harder. The thought of Kagome consummating a relationship with the playboy hanyou was laughable, and on a beach no less. She doubled over with laughter and ended up falling onto the floor.

The kit continued to snore softly, oblivious to the racket the females were making around him.

Kagome's eyebrow twitched. "Nothing, I repeat, absolutely nothing, will ever occur between Inuyasha and I on the islands, especially love. That's ancient history," she responded, her cool tone a stark contrast to her face, which was still colored in red.

"Rememberif you need more than one, you know where to find me." Sango squeaked and bolted from the room when a shoe narrowly missed her head.

With the heat gradually receding from her face, Kagome ignored Ayame's unremitting giggles and began the tedious task of packing once more, Sango's words a constant repetition in her mind. What had Sango been thinking giving her condoms? It wasn't like they were going to…do it, now or ever. They had tried the love thing before and look where it got them, hatingeach other more than ever.

Wiping tears from her eyes, Ayame hefted herself from the floor onto the satin clad bed, her sides aching from all the laughter that had been invoked within her. "I'm sorry Kag, didn't mean to laugh at you like that. I just find this whole arrangement funny."

"It only funny because it has never happened to you." She zipped the last of her suitcases. "There. Now I'm done."

"Tell me again why your parents are just shipping you off tomorrow. Isn't it kind of short notice?"

"Who knows. Maybe its just another one of their ploys to get us to like each other." Kagome sat down next to her and sighed heavily. "I don't know why they keep fooling themselves in thinking that we will ever fall in love each other. I can't see it happening, now or ever."

"Is the reason you won't allow yourself to love him because of what happened when we were younger?" Ayame asked quietly, her face all seriousness as she tried to get to the source of the problem.

"No," Kagome said a little too fast. "It has nothing to with it."

Green eyes bored into hers skeptically.

Kagome shifted edgily on the bed. "Ok, maybe it has something to with what happened, but that's all in the past. What I learned then is not to trust that two timing fiend." She stared at her hands that lay splayed across her lap. "He violated my trust that day…and my heart. If it hadn't been for the support of you and Sango and all of the affection Kouga-kun showered on me, I don't think my heart ever would've healed."

A resounding pang echoed within the chambers of Ayame's heart at the adoration in her voice when she mentioned Kouga's name. Maybe Sango was wrong. Maybe Kagome truly did love him. She shook her head. No. She had to think positive. "I'm glad to know that we helped in some way," Ayame murmured absently, her mind still on how she was going to tell her friend that she was and always had been in love with her ex-boyfriend. "Umm, Kagome?"

"What's wrong?" Kagome inquired with a degree of worry upon detecting the hesitancy and timidity in the read head's usual buoyant voice.

Ayame opened her mouth, the words dancing at the tip of her tongue yet refused to spill from her mouth. She twiddled her claws nervously. "Umm, how would you define your relationship with Kouga?"

Kagome arched an inquisitive brow at the question. "Why do you ask?"

"Just asking," she muttered, her head bowed and claws still twiddling.

Kagome peered curiously at the uncharacteristically coy wolf youkai. Something was definitely up. "Ayame, is there something you want to tell me?"

"I'minlovewithKougaandwanttoaskhimtobemymatebutifyoulovehimIwillgivehimupbeacauseIdontwanttoriskourfriendshipoversomeguy," she blurted out entirely too fast, but hoped that her friend understood so she wouldn't be forced to repeat those words over again.

Kagome didn't say anything for a moment as she tried to decipher what her friend was trying to relay to her. Her blue eyes widened slightly and her mouth formed an 'o' as the wolf's confession converted into legible comprehension in her mind. "So you're in love with Kouga and want him to become your mate," she said slowly, her voice not hinting what emotions she was feeling at the moment. She was unsure of how she should be feeling.

Ayame swallowed a lump that had lodged itself in her throat. "Yes," she admitted in a subdued manner and waited for the shouts of outrage and betrayal that she probably deserved.

A part of Kagome was relieved. Now Kouga would have someone to shower his endless supply of love on instead of her, who couldn't love him in the same way he deserved. But the darker side commanded her that she should be angry at the wolf for even thinking about mating her boyfriend of four years. Ok, so they weren't officially a couple since she was already married to someone else but they still had feelings for each other, or rather he still had rather strong feelings for her.

Kagome frowned at her selfish thoughts. She shouldn't be thinking about herself, but about the well being of her friend, who was at present silently beating herself up over the issue. Kagome hid a smile. She had never known Ayame had had such a huge crush over Kouga. If she would've known this beforehand, she would have let the female wolf have first dibs on him.

Ayame stiffened when an arm slid around her shoulders, but instantly relaxed upon realizing that it didn't bear any hostility. Lifting her head, she met the gentle gaze of her friend. "So you're not angry at me?" she asked uncertainly.

"No. I don't think I could hold a grudge toward someone who is obviously head over heels in love."

"So you don't love Kouga?" Inquiry shined in her sharp eyes.

"Not in the way you love him," Kagome reassured with a smile. "I love Kouga, but only as a friend. Even when we were going out, I always thought of him as a good friend rather than the love of my life or my soul mate. And by the look on your face I see that you've already found yours."

Ecstatic, Ayame squealed and encircled Kagome in a tight embrace. "Oh Kag, you don't know how happy you've made me!" She squeezed even harder, her current state of mirth causing her to fail in realizing that her friend was merely human.

"Ayame, can't breath," Kagome whispered, the compression of her oxygen deficient lungs beginning to feel the after effects of the bear hug, or more precisely, wolf hug.

"Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly and released the gasping human. "Are you sure that you're ok with me courting Kouga? If you're the least bit offended-"

"No, I'm positive Ayame," Kagome said upon regaining her composure. "Let me go talk to Kouga first and then he's all yours."

Ayame grinned so wide Kagome was afraid her lips would split if they were stretched any further. "Thank you so much! I'm going to go tell Sango the good news!" She jumped off the bed. "Oh, and good luck with your relationship with Inuyasha. You'll warm up to him sooner or later. Instead of focusing on the past, maybe you should concentrate on the future. I mean the both of you will be spending the rest of your lives together, so you might as well make up and become lovers now or just be miserable the rest of your life. Bye!"

The wolf youkai rushed out of the room in a flurry, leaving a taken aback Kagome in her departure, who was steadily trying to digest the advice that Ayame had just thrown in her face. Too tired to even bother to assimilate what her friends had said to about her liaison with Inuyasha, Kagome rubbed her temples in an attempt to alleviate the oncoming headache. Why did relationships have to be so complicated? What happened to the simplest scenario: girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, girl and boy live happily ever after.

With a yawn that threatened to dislocate her jaw, Kagome scooted off of the bed and walked over the light switch. She didn't care that it wasn't even seven o'clock and that weak rays from the sun infiltrated through her curtains. All she wanted to do was to sink into a dreamless sleep and put all of the stress and trials and tribulations of the day behind her. After flicking off the light, she stripped, put on her silk pajamas, and slipped into bed with Shippou, who immediately curled up against the warmth of her stomach and sighed contentedly.

A smile curved on her lips at the antics of the child. Who could push away a kit as cute as him? Not having the heart or the strength to put him into one of the other twenty something vacant rooms, Kagome ruffled his tail playfully before yawning once more and closed her eyes. Thoughts of Inuyasha, Kouga, Ayame, and the inevitable trip to Hawaii disappeared as she drifted into a black abyss.

* * *

"So I beat the shit out of the little bastard. I bet he's at home right now crying to that whore of a wife of his," Bankotsu bellowed in a semi drunken state, inciting a round of laughter and cheers around the table, either from his actions or just because they were intoxicated and had nothing better to laugh at.

Inuyasha tried to enjoy himself and laugh along with everyone else, however, for some unexplainable reason was unable to do so. Usually he took pleasure in coming to his club and partying and seducing and drinking and clowning around with his friends, but tonight, he just wasn't in the mood. He had just got there and already felt like leaving. The thrumming and pulsing of the deafening music was echoing loudly in his skull and the stench of sweaty bodies was enough to make his head swim. Why the hell was he being so hypersensitive to everything when he typically liked this kind amusement? Maybe it was because of that stupid internship his parents were making him go on. Or maybe it was the woman he was going with.

The subtle caress of a woman's touch on his thigh jarred him from his thoughts. "Inu-kun, what's the matter? Why are you so quiet? Aren't you having fun?" purred the seductive voice of a brown haired woman in her early twenties.

His brow furrowed. What was this chick's name again? "Umm, Samura?"

"Sakura," she corrected unperturbed and ran a manicured fingernail down his jaw line.

"Right, Sakura." Inuyasha removed her hand from his face and thigh. "Have you seen Clarice tonight? I need to talk to her. Now."

Sakura pouted, making her cherry painted lips glisten even more under the garish lights of the club. "Don't you care about me anymore inu honey?"

Inuyasha smirked. "Obviously I don't, now where is LeBeau?"

Rolling her eyes, the brown haired woman waved her hand in the direction of the bar. "The bitch is over there. I don't know what you see in her." She took his hand and kissed his palm softly, her eyes trained intently on the golden orbed god in front of her. "You know I can give you more than she or your wife ever will be able to. My love for you exceeds those wenches, you know that." Her kisses began to trail slowly up his arm.

The hanyou had half the mind to remain firmly rooted to where he was and let Sakura work her magic, but eventually the better part of his judgment took hold. Snatching away his appendage, Inuyasha stood up abruptly and glared down at her. "Your love don't mean shit to me bitch. So waste it on some pathetic fool who gives a damn."

"Oi! Three cheers for Inuyasha, who knows how to keep his women in check!" Akira announced lifting his mug to the retreating hanyou.

Inuyasha didn't bother to stick around for the hoots and hollers of the intoxicated morons or even acknowledge those who encountered and waved at him. He only had one thing, or rather, person in mind. Inuyasha grabbed the strawberry blonde haired women by the wrist and began to make his way to the back rooms of the building, pointedly ignoring her protests and curses.

When he reached the desired room, Inuyasha jerked her in and closed the door behind them and locked it, successfully shutting out most of the blaring music and brilliant multi colored lights from above.

The model stomped her foot angrily. "Inuyasha, vat is za meaning of all of zis? You couldn't talk to me out zere?"

"Evidently not. Sit down, I need to tell you something."

"Is zomething za matter Inuyasha?" she asked, a hint of worry in her tone.

He decided just to come right out with it. "I'm going on an internship with my wife in Hawaii for the next month or two, so I won't be able to take you out of the country like I promised. But I'll make it up to you. After I come back, we can-" She silenced him with one finger against his lips.

"You don't 'ave to explain Inuyasha. I understand completely." She removed her finger and placed her glossed lips against his in a simple gesture of affection. Clarice ran her tongue on the lower part of his lip and began tracing the outline of his cut abs with her hands. "All I vant is you. Here and now," she murmured against his lips.

'_This is wrong_,' Inuyasha thought as she deepened the kiss and pulled him over toward the bed. He wasn't a bachelor anymore. He was a married man that had a wife at home. Granted he hated her guts because of all the crap she put him through and wished they could get a divorce so that he would be free of her again, but until that time came, he would have to honor and respect the wench. With a considerable amount of effort, Inuyasha broke the kiss. "Stop Clarice. This isn't right," he warned in a husky tone.

She frowned. "Vat is za matter vith you? We've alvays done zis. Why does you're aving a wife change anything?" Clarice intertwined her hand with his, as if to prove that they belonged together.

The electric tingle had raced up his arm and down his spine when he had touched Kagome's silky skin earlier that day, failed to occur with Clarice when their skin made contact. Inuyasha searched her pale blue eyes, which were at the moment filled with lust and wanton desires. They lacked the brightness and enthusiasm and innocence of another pair of blue eyes he secretly adored. When the French model pressed herself against his lean body to tempt him, his blood didn't race, his heart didn't pick up speed, his head didn't become dizzy and light headed with the inhalation of her scent.

"I need to go," Inuyasha growled pushing her away and turned on his heels to go. Why the hell wasn't his body reacting to hers? What force of nature was preventing him from enjoying the pleasure of a woman's body?

'_Love of another_,' a tiny voice in the deeper regions of his mind offered.

Inuyasha inwardly snorted at the stupid voice, which was wrong. The only woman he loved was his mother, but even she was beginning to grate on his nerves the past couple of weeks. Clarice jumped in front of him before he could reach for the knob.

"If you go out zis door, zat vill be ze end of zis relationship," she stated, her pale irises flashing with determination.

Inuyasha hesitated. What's a guy to do when caught in a situation like this? Should he go with his brain, which was telling him to take the sexy model back to the bed and have his way with her? Or should he go with his heart, which told him this was wrong and that he needed to leave before giving into temptation? He inwardly groaned. Why did his life have to be so complicated?

-

End.

* * *

**AN:** Would've kept going, but too tired. I can barely keep my eyes open. The words on this screen are making me dizzy. L

I know you're all like when is the honeymoon…I mean the trip to Hawaii and when am I going to reveal what happened to kag and inu in the past. I only can divulge one of the two. Hawaii Next Chapter! Past -

Anyway, the next chappie will be up real soon since I already know what's going to be happening and my writer's block is totally gone, well for this fic anyway. And I'm working on a new fic that'll be up soon too.

More reviews Faster updates. - Make me happy and press the button.


	10. The Mishap

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Inuyasha. That privilege belongs to the one…the only…Rumiko Takahashi!!!!!!

**AN**: Hey people! I've got over 300 reviews!!! Thanks so much! I feel so darn special! ::throws crowd cookies and chocolate:: I love you all. I never thought this would be so popular…more or less.

I would've made this better but…::looks over shoulder nervously:: my mother wants me to give the computer a rest…for a long period of time. ::whimpers at the thought:: She just doesn't understand that I need to write my chappie. This is why I need a laptop.

* * *

The Mishap

* * *

"That low down dirty bastard," Sango muttered grumpily in a state of semi consciousness as she entered the kitchen the following morning. "I don't know why I agreed to go out with him in the first place." She jerked the refrigerator open and took out a carton of orange juice, unmindful to the inquisitive stares of an audience as they ate breakfast around the table. "I can't believe he did that to me, and in public no less." She slammed the door heatedly. "Stupid lecherous monk."

"Is something wrong with Sango?" Shippou whispered, looking up into the one who's lap he was currently occupying with curious green eyes.

Kagome glanced down at the kit, squelching the sudden urge to squeal and hug him to death. He was so adorable. "She probably just woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"It has nothing to do with Sango waking up in a bad mood. She is always mentally unstable after experiencing a harrowing event," Ayame stated casually while sipping her tea. " I believe that her present condition may have something to do with what happened on her date last night with Miroku." A playful smirk graced the wolf's visage. "Care to divulge in what came about on your date, Sango-chan?"

With righteous anger engulfing her entire aura, the taijiya in training gritted her teeth and attempted to subdue the explosive fury she was feeling at the moment. Taking a calming breath, Sango exhaled coolly, her pulse beginning to return to its normal pace. "Last night Miroku took me out to eat at this nice restaurant in down town Tokyo-"

"You mean you finally went on a date with that lecherous monk?" Ayame inquired with a sly grin.

Sango narrowed her eyes across the table at her friend. "It wasn't a date, just a friend taking a friend out to eat at a nice place." She continued, ignoring the cynical glances exchanged between the wolf youkai and Kagome. "So he took me out on the specified terms that he would not concede into any acts of lechery in my presence. And everything was going fine at first. Miroku was behaving like the perfect gentlemen, opening up and closing doors for me and always telling me how beautiful I looked and how lucky he was to have a chance to take me out." Her brown eyes hardened. "But then-"

* * *

"-the food came," Miroku told Kouga as they walked down the corridor toward the kitchen.

"That doesn't explain why your eye is black and blue," Kouga smirked.

"That's not the only part of me that black and blue," Miroku muttered, inwardly wincing at the component of the male anatomy that was essential to his child bearing efforts, and momentarily forgetting that about the wolf youkai's hypersensitive hearing. "So the waitress comes with our food and that's where everything starts to go downhill."

* * *

"Up until this point everything was going fine," Sango went on, her voice getting tighter by the second. "And that's when he began showing his true colors. After the food was set on the table, I catch Miroku's hand hovering over her ass as the waitress turns to go-"

* * *

"-and I saw a piece of lint on the back of her pants, so I reach up to remove it when Sango kicks me for no apparent reason in my shin."

* * *

"-Luckily, the waitress didn't turn to turn around and kept walking toward her next table. So I figured the evening was pretty much ruined because of his perverted desires. I told him that nothing could exist between us because of his lechery and as I get up to leave, Miroku rushes over to me, gets down on is knees, and practically begs me to stay."

* * *

"And I tried to reason with her on grounds that my lechery is hereditary."

Kouga snorted disdainfully. "Hereditary? That's the best excuse you could come up with."

Innocence and naiveté glimmered in the monk's violet orbs as they walked down the hall toward the kitchen. "It wasn't an excuse. It was a perfectly logical explanation. But for reasons unknown, she refused to accept my validation and began to walk off, unaware that her dress had accidentally become caught under my knees."

* * *

"So as I turn to walk away, he grabs the hem of my dress in a last desperate attempt to get me to stay, and ends up ripping the entire thing off of me!" A deep shade of red crept onto her cheeks, mortification pervading her soul at the embarrassing memory, which quickly turned anger when her companions, even the small kit, tried unsuccessfully to hold back their giggles and snickers.

"Sango, what did I tell you about buying dresses from those bargain stores," Kagome giggled.

The taijiya's anger rose yet another notch. "Those stores have really good deals," she said through gritted teeth.

"Must not be good enough if the material rips so easily," Ayame howled with laughter.

Sango's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Where was the sympathy? The understanding? "I didn't think that this was a laughing matter," she growled. "That was the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life."

"At least he didn't do it on purpose," Shippou pointed out grinning.

"Yeah right," Sango said scowling. "Just like I didn't beat the crap out of him after it was all over on purpose."

"Kagome my love!" All head turned in the direction of the newcomers that had just entered the kitchen. Kouga's grin threatened to split his lips at the sight of his woman. Kagome slouched in uncomfortably in her seat. Ayame's heart skipped a beat. Miroku's eyes widened in appreciation. Sango stiffened. Shippou observed the range of expressions on everybody's faces with keen interest.

Sango got up. "I'll see you guys later. I have…stuff to do." She left the room by way of the exit opposite that of the one the object of her frustration had entered through.

"Wait Sango, I need to have a word with you," Miroku pleaded running after her.

She whirled around before he could come within three feet of her, her face twisted in a mask of fury and indignation. "Just stay away from me!" the taijiya hissed, "I want nothing to do with you any longer! Leave me alone and stay out of my life! There will never be anything between us…ever." Sango stalked off toward her room, oblivious to the hurt and pain that she left the monk standing behind in.

"Why don't you go talk to Sango," Kagome suggested to Ayame, hinting that she needed to break the news to Kouga about the status of their relationship.

Catching the insinuation, Ayame excused herself and ran off after their pissed friend.

"Want me to go talk to the lech? I could give him some helpful advice on how to win the heart of Sango," Shippou proposed grinning up at his caretaker for the time being.

Kagome smiled down at the kit. He was taking the death of his family very well for one so young of age. "You go do that. He needs all the help he can get."

"Ok." The red headed child hopped off of her lap and dashed off in the direction that Miroku had slunk off to.

Misconstruing the motive behind Kagome removing the people from the kitchen, Kouga slid into the nearest seat next to her and pulled her into his lap. He buried his nose in her neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent. "Kagome," he murmured rubbing his nose along her neckline as a sing of affection. "I miss having you in my arms."

"Kouga," Kagome squeaked in surprise from his lap and struggled to extricate herself from his hold. "We need to talk."

"I don't want to talk." He nibbled on her earlobe.

"Stop Kouga." Kagome pushed herself off of him and glared at him. "This is important."

He gave her a lazy grin, and stood up with her. Before she could react, the wolf youkai had pulled her into another embrace and began planting tiny kisses on her jaw line. "It can't be that important." His hands slid down her side so that they rested lightly on the small of her back. "Inukuro doesn't know how to treat you, love," he whispered softly against her cheek, failing to notice that it didn't produce any kind of response from Kagome. "We should run away Kagome. From all of this. From your oppressive marriage. From your overbearing parents. From everything."

Kagome felt like crying out of frustration, knowing full well that it was someone else's kisses she wanted placed on her skin and knowing that it could never happen. He didn't want her, not now, not ever. He had a thousand different women that he could choose from. All more beautiful, all more sophisticated, all more experienced than she would ever be. And of course there was the little insignificant fact that he was into two timing women and hated her guts.

'_Maybe I should just give in to Kouga_,' Kagome speculated sadly closing her eyes and allowing his hands and his lips to roam freely.

'_But what about Ayame?_' a small voice in the back of her mind prodded.

Blue eyes snapped open in realization. Ayame loved Kouga. She didn't. Kouga would never mean as much to her as another special someone did. "Stop Kouga," she commanded, her voice dead serious.

Kouga frowned and pulled away, recognizing something was obviously wrong, but kept his hands on her back. "What is it?"

Kagome squirmed her way out of his grasp. Now, how was she going to do this delicately? "Kouga…" she started, fixing her stare on the black marble countertops instead of looking him in the eyes. "We have to end things between us. Indefinitely. I can't be with you anymore. Things are different now. I'm married and I have to uphold my position as a wife to Inuyasha."

A low growl rumbled within the wolf's chest, denial flashing in his cobalt orbs. "That stupid mutt doesn't give a damn about you. He has a hundred other women running around all over the city. I'm the only one that can give you what you want, what you deserve." He attempted to recapture her arms, but she dogded his outreached hands.

"That's not necessarily true Kouga," she said softly, reluctantly dragging her gaze to meet his fierce one. "You deserve someone who will treat you with equal love and commitment. I can't do that. I…I don't love you." There she had said it.

The muscle in Kouga's jaw twitched. His ears refusing to believe the words that had just flowed from her mouth. "Kagome…you don't mean that."

"I'm so sorry Kouga, but I do." Pain clinched her heart seeing thehurt she was inflicting on him through his beautiful cobalt orbs, but he needed to know the truth. "I don't feel anything for you on that kind of level. I've always thought of you as a friend and you always will be one to me. But we can never be anything more than that."

Kouga backed away from her. "You mean all the time that we've been together, all four years, you've never felt anything even close to love for me?" he asked quietly, hoping the pain and betrayal he felt didn't show in his voice.

Kagome bowed her head in an attempt to hide the tears brimming her eyes. She hated hurting people, especially those close to her. She had deceived him after all these years, after all that he had done for her, after all of the love he had showered on her. "It's always been love as a friend, but never as a lover. I'm sorry Kouga. You should be with someone that can return your love like I can't."

He didn't say anything. And with his back facing her, Kagome didn't know what kind of affect her news was having on him. "If it helps any, Ayame is head over heels in love with you," she hinted softly, a hopeful lilt in her voice. "She has been ever since the first time she laid eyes on you."

Kouga's head immediately snapped up at the proclamation and for a second, Kagome believed that he felt the same way about her friend, but that was before he turned around, his cobalt eyes ablaze with anger and resentment. "She put you up to this didn't she?"

"No, that's not what I me-"

A calloused finger silenced her flow of words. A small smile upturned the corners of his lips as he placed a gentle kiss on forehead. "You are so considerate and sweet, my Kagome. You're always thinking of the well being of others before yourself. That's one of the things I love about you. You don't have to lie to me because Ayame is in love with me. I love you and only you." After kissing her nose, Kouga left a very frustrated Kagome in the kitchen.

"Leave it to Kouga to be so dense," Kagome sighed. She had a feeling she had just made things worst rather than better. Now Ayame had even less of a chance of getting Kouga to fall in love with her than before. "I'd better go talk to him," she mumbled and ventured out of the kitchen to find him.

She frowned, looking both up and down the hall. "Now where did he run off to?" Figuring that he had retreated to his room, Kagome headed for the foyer, arriving there just in time to see the front doors swing open forcefully.

Kagome blinked in surprise when Inuyasha stormed into the house and jumped when he slammed the doors shut angrily. She was even more surprised to see him sporting what he had left yesterday wearing, except now his black silk shirt and khakis looked a little worn for the wear. The beautiful hair that had been neatly combed and fashioned to perfection, was now tousled in tangles. How he managed to look incredibly sexy when he looked like hell was beyond her. "Inuyasha?" she called to him hesitantly, unnerved by his disheveled appearance.

Sharp golden eyes instantly focused on hers. "You!" he barked, fangs bared and ears flattened atop his skull as he started to slowly approach her. "You are the bane of my misery. Its your fault I'm confined to stupid human union. Its your fault I'm restricted to this stupid little house." As he moved in closer, Kagome found herself backing up. "Its your fault I have to go to that stupid internship in Hawaii."

The wall met Kagome's back. Her heartbeat increased. She had been cornered. Growling faintly, Inuyasha planted his hands on the wall behind her, effectively entrapping her head between his arms, forcing her to look directly at him. "And its your fault I couldn't screw my French fox last night," he growled softly, but it had been enough for Kagome to hear and enough to spark flames of fury toward the hanyou.

"You bastard, how dare you insinuate that I had something do with issues that you obviously need to take up with your parents!" she snapped fervidly. "Especially with your sleazy sex slut!"

"Clarice is not a slut, bitch!"

"Don't call me a bitch, asshole! Why would I have anything to do with your mistress?!"

Inuyasha brought his head in lower to hers so that their noses were almost touching. "Wench, because of you, I had absolutely no desire to take her last night." Kagome shivered, his warm breath and sending frissons of pleasure throughout her system. '_No, not this again_.'

Turning his face slightly, Inuyasha began nuzzling her cheek, unhurriedly moving toward her right ear. "Even when she was naked and jiggling her goodies for me, all I could think of the way your body looked. How yours felt against mine. The way you made me feel," he whispered into her ear seductively.

Kagome gulped nervously as he shifted his body so that he was pressed partially against her. With his claws finding themselves tangled in her raven black locks, Inuyasha drew her closer to his long muscular length so that his body covered hers fully. He resisted the urge to smirk when he felt her shudder against him.

"I-Inuyasha," she stammered slightly, unsure of what exactly was occurring. "what are you doing?" She peered inquisitively into the molten pools of gold swirling with a myriad of emotions, some of which repulsed, frightened, and excited her to some extent. Tentatively, Kagome lifted her hand and gently laid it across his warm forehead, searching for some indication as to why he was acting so strangely. Perhaps he was sick or had a fever or had drank too much.

Inuyasha visibly relaxed with her cool hand splayed across his temple. It just felt so right to have her by his side. Maybe that was why he couldn't go through with having sex with Clarice, or any other chick for that matter. Although they had not done as of yet, he'd been planning on it for some time, but that all changed once Kagome entered the picture. He had driven around for hours trying to find some clarity on their complicated love/hate relationship, and was still no closer to the answer than he was when he had left the club.

For some strange reason, the slightest touch from Kagome could send him reeling, yearning for her warmth, her body, her passion and at other times was enough to calm his most turbulent of emotions. '_Maybe we should just forget about the past and move on,_' Inuyasha mused shutting his eyes as her hand slid to his cheek and inhaled the sweet scent of jasmine he fancied so much, but immediately stiffened upon realizing something.

Kagome, who was too wrapped up in enjoying the feel of the smooth cantors of Inuyasha's face, fell short of realizing the hanyou's sudden change in demeanor. "You treacherous bitch," she heard him growl and was startled to see hatred flashing through his amber irises, which had only a moment ago been filled with desire and some form of affection and serenity.

"What are you talk about?" she questioned withdrawing her hand in confusion.

Inuyasha took another whiff of her scent, and wrinkled his nose in repugnance when the mangy wolf's pungent stench entered his nostrils. "Why is that wolf's odor all over you?" he demanded angrily, retracting his claws from her tresses. "You fucking slut! You slept with him didn't you?"

"I didn't sleep Kouga!" Kagome snapped indignantly, her anger spiking to immeasurable heights at the prospect of him assuming that such a thing could occur between her and someone she didn't love with all of her heart. "And where do you get off calling me a slut, you man whore! You're the one going out every night trying to see how many girls' panties you can get into!" She shoved him out of her way and walked toward the spiral staircase. "I'm going to finishing packing. You can take your dirty presumptions and go to hell!"

Red began to steal into his fiery golden orbs. "I'm not finished talking to you!" he barked and reached for her arm.

"SIT!"

The hanyou spewed an assortment of colorful phrases as he came crashing to the ground inches from her feet. "Stupid wench!" Inuyasha strained to glare at her from his prostrate position on the floor. "Why the hell did…" He trailed off as soon as he saw the steady trickle of tears stream down her face, guilt beginning to gnaw at his heart for making her cry.

"Inuyasha, you're such a bastard," Kagome said in a voice barely above a whisper, her tone laced with hurt and underlying bitterness. "I told you before that I would never sleep with just anybody, but someone I love and trust with all my heart. Regrettably that person is not Kouga, though I sometimes wish it were so that I would be spared the pain and heartbreak from another. My virginity means a lot to me though I don't know if I can say the same for yourself. So I would appreciate it if you'd stop presuming that I'd just throw myself to anyone, yourself included."

From his horizontal spot on the marble tiles, Inuyasha watched as Kagome walked away, her shoulders hunched and her eyes shielded by her bangs from view. A heavy sigh escaped him. The perplexity of his current circumstance was increasing tenfold with the passing of each day. He hated Kagome, that much he did know. Yes, he hated her for making his life hell when they were younger, but he also hated her for being a continual source of happiness and enthusiasm, for being a preppy little schoolgirl, for the way she made him feel, for the state of confusion she left his mind in every time they came across each other, for soothing his inner being one second and setting his blood on fire with desire the next, for being the one person he could trust to always be there for him even when the world was against him.

Growling in frustration at his last couple of thoughts, Inuyasha pushed himself off of the ground and to his feet, the subduing spell long since worn off. '_Damn her_.' She was always on his mind, a continual annoyance that he fell short of eradicating.

A deep scowl marred the hanyou's tanned features at this. He had a feeling that this little excursion to Hawaii would only make things worst.

* * *

Kagome stared out of the tinted window of the limousine, silently watching the scenery fly by as they gradually made their way to the airport. She hated saying goodbyes, even if they were only for a short period of time. Four o'clock had come sooner rather than later. The limo had pulled up to the house a few minutes before three and a big, burly looking neko youkai with apathetic brown eyes, which happened to be the chauffeur that their parents had sent, stepped out and put their luggage into the trunk.

Inuyasha had got in without saying good bye to anybody while Kagome had spent the next twenty minutes saying her farewells to her friends, promising to bring back souvenirs and reassuring the small kitsune, who had begged and pleaded to go with them, that she would be back in a month or two and that her friends would watch out for him. The reassurance probably meant nothing to him.

Kouga, for reasons unknown, couldn't be found when it was time for her to leave. She had tried to talk to him after her encounter earlier with Inuyasha, but found that his Mustang wasn't in the garage. Kagome frowned. She had forgotten to speak with Ayame about the incident in the kitchen. Making a mental note to inform the wolf youkai before she made a move on her love, Kagome continued to look out of the window, ignoring the silence of the interior due to the thick tension that lay between the hanyou and herself.

Inuyasha shifted on the leather seats in an attempt to get more comfortable. The friction in the limo was enough to make his hair frizz. They hadn't spoken a word towards each other since that morning, which was almost certainly the fault of him since he couldn't form the words to act contrite. Although the remorse he felt for calling Kagome a slut lashed out unrelentingly at his conscious, he refused to give in. There was no way he was going to apologize until she did first for calling him a man whore.

So he contented himself with staring out the window until they arrived at their destination, which was pointless since the limo came to a halt. Anxious to get out of the friction laden vehicle, Inuyasha stepped out first and observed his surroundings with little amusement. "What are you, stupid or something fur ball?" he inquired dryly to the driver, who had began removing their things from the trunk. "This isn't the airport, its an airstrip."

"No shit Sherlock," the neko youkai replied coldly, his hands full of bags as he approached the plane. "Your parents decided you two would want a little alone time so arranged for you to fly to Hawaii in their private jet. How nice of them."

"Nice isn't exactly the word I had in mind," Kagome muttered brushing pass the hanyou and following the chauffeur on board.

"Oh, now you decide to speak. I was beginning to think that the cat had your tongue." A sneer upturned the corners of his lips. "Get it? Cat got your tongue? The fur ball driver had your tongue."

Both Kagome and the neko youkai glared at him.

"You two have no sense of humor," Inuyasha mumbled brushing pass them and entering the lounge area of the cabin.

"You are such an ass Inuyasha," Kagome said sitting down in one of the plush chairs once the driver was out of earshot.

The golden eyed individual shrugged indifferently toward the insult. "Comes with the territory babe."

The appearance of a another neko youkai, presumably the pilot since he was clad in pilot like apparel, stopped Kagome from coming back with another smart retort. "Hello young lovers," he grinned, revealing a set of ivory fangs in an unthreatening fashion, his maroon colored orbs sparkling with enthusiasm and mirth. "My name is Arashi and I'll be your pilot for the duration of your flight. So you folks are going to Hawaii? Beautiful place if I do say so myself. I've been there a couple of times and it is absolutely gorgeous, a wonderful place to let loose, enjoy yourselves, and make love from dawn 'til dusk on the exquisite beaches." He winked.

The newlyweds stifled their groans, but couldn't stop the red from coloring their cheeks.

"If you have any questions, comments, or fears, just let me know and I'll be sure to answer them to the best of my ability. Now if you're all set, buckle in and get ready for take off. Enjoy your flight kids." With another wink, Arashi left them and returned to the cockpit.

"What a fruit," Inuyasha snickered buckling his seatbelt.

Kagome disregarded his rude comment and strapped in. Hopefully this wouldn't be a very long trip.

"Have nice flight," the chauffeur said icily while shutting the door, a glint of satisfaction flickering through his cold brown eyes before closing the exit entirely.

His tone, and something about the way he looked at them, sent shivers down Kagome's spine. There was something not quite right with that youkai.

Two hours after take off and Inuyasha was tapping his claws impatiently on the armrest. The movie playing on the flat screen TV was not worth his attention. Why the hell their parents would pick some sappy romance to show them on this long ass flight was beyond his comprehension. They knew he hated this kind of crap. Yawning loudly, the hanyou turned his attention to Kagome, who was already engrossed in the film.

"Oi wench."

He frowned when he go no response. "I'm talking to you."

Her blue eyes remained on the screen.

Irritated now, Inuyasha grabbed the remote and flicked off the power. Smirking haughtily, he glanced back to Kagome, who had put on her headphones and was now leaning back in the reclining chair, eyes closed.

"Would you listen to me!" He snatched the cd player out of her hand and yanked back her earphones.

Kagome's eyes flew open. There was no trace of anger, no trace of sadness, only weariness. The kind that came when one was fed up with putting up with ignorance and stupidity of all sorts. "What do you want Inuyasha?" she asked in an tired voice.

The heartstrings in his chest tugged a bit at the sound of exhaustion in her voice. Where was the anger? The passion? The hatred? "What the hell is your problem?" he demanded suspiciously.

A finely arched brow rose in response. "My problem? I have no problems, save for the one in front of me. Now would you please give me back my cd player so I can listen to my music in peace?"

"Not until you listen to what I have to say."

"And what could you possibly have to say that I would be interested in?" she inquired wryly.

Inuyasha tried to push down the arising anger within himself. "I just wanted to…" Why was it so hard to get the words out? "I wanted to…apologize for earlier, when I called you a slut and assumed you slept with that mangy wolf," he mumbled, keeping his eyes fixated on the floor.

Kagome sighed. "Do you really expect me to forgive you every time you spew harebrained accusations at me?"

"Why shouldn't you?" Inuyasha frowned. "I said I was sorry. That should be suffice. Now accept it so my conscious can be clear." He mentally slapped himself the instant the words left his mouth.

"So that's the only reason you wanted to apologize!" she snapped. "You only wanted to clear your conscious! I can't believe you! For a moment there I actually thought you had sprouted a heart! I guess I was wrong!"

"Dammit! I didn't mean it like that!" he shot back hotly. "What I meant was-!"

"I don't care what you meant! Just leave me alone you jerk! I-!" The sudden jerking of the plane caused Kagome to choke on her words, and concurrently, throwing her against Inuyasha, both of them ending up on the floor.

"What the hell is going on?" Inuyasha growled on the carpeted floor, one arm loosely draped around a whimpering Kagome. The unexpected fluctuation of the jet's flight pattern caused various objects in the cabin to come hurtling the floor and into the walls. Inuyasha tucked the frightened girl under his chin and cradled her in the security of his arms so that the lying objects wouldn't hit her.

"Inuyasha, what's happening," Kagome said stifling a sob. This was scarier than swerving out of control in his Ferrari. At least then they had been on the ground.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Gently prying her arms from off of his waist, Inuyasha unsteadily came to his feet, then helped Kagome to hers. "Stay here, I'm going to check with Arashi," he ordered pushing her against the wall.

Kagome nodded, unable to form comprehendible sentences in her state, and clung to the wall for dear life.

After seeing that she was safe, the hanyou shakily stumbled to the cockpit. Something was wrong. With his acute hearing, he had noticed that the jet was no longer on a steady course, but kept that piece of information to himself once so he wouldn't scare Kagome. Instead of flying in a horizontal direction, it felt as if the jet was doing a subtle nosedive. Inuyasha kicked open the door to the cockpit. "Arashi, what the fuck…" He trailed off once noticing that he was talking to himself.

Fear tightened in Kagome's chest with the passing of every second. The plane was plunging out of the sky. She could feel it. What was going on? Was there something wrong with controls? Relief filtered through her system when Inuyasha came back. She hated being alone. But the sense of relief quickly vanished after seeing the tightness in his facial muscles. "Inuyasha? What's happening to the plane? Where's Arashi?"

The hanyou didn't say anything for a moment. His golden orbs betrayed nothing of what he was feeling at the moment. "He's not here, neither is the co pilot." He staggered over to where she stood.

A lump lodged itself in her throat. "Inuyasha?" Tears began brimming her eyes.

A surge of turbulence shook the cabin of the tiny jet, making Kagome loose her footing, but Inuyasha caught and pinned her against the wall of the cabin, bracing both of them so that they wouldn't fall with the other debris that littered the floor. "Kagome," he began tensely, "the pilots are gone. There's no trace of them on this plane. Its like they disappeared out of thin air."

Kagome's heart constricted in her chest. "But we can still operate the plane and radio someone to help us fly it to Hawaii…right?"

The muscle in his jaw twitched, his amber eyes hardened. "All of the controls…all of them are destroyed. The only thing that's left of them are bits and pieces of scrap metal and torn wires. Even the radio is smashed. It looks like someone had taken a baseball bat and beat the shit out of everything. I couldn't even find parachutes."

If Inuyasha hadn't been holding her up, Kagome would've sank to the floor. This couldn't be the end of her life. It just couldn't be. There were so many things she wanted to do, to experience. Hot tears rolled down her face. At least she got to say goodbye to everyone.

"Kagome…do you trust me?" Inuyasha asked softly to the girl in his arms, staring out of the window at the setting sun behind her.

Water filled blue eyes looked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" she choked back a sob.

"Just answer the question. Do you trust me?" he asked her somewhat edgily. Their altitude was decreasing…fast. She needed to make up her mind.

Kagome looked into his calm golden orbs. Sometimes he was so much like Sesshoumaru that it was scary. A part of her hated Inuyasha. A part of her adored him. He may act like an ass ninety percent of the time they were together, but whenever it came to her safety and well being, she knew that he would always be there for her and protect her unfailingly. "I trust you with my life, Inuyasha."

He nodded, relief flashing in his eyes for a fleeting moment. "We're going to jump."

Kagome stared at him as if he were crazy, all thought of him protecting her vanishing from her mind. "Are you nuts?! That's suicide! We could stay on the plane for that!" She screamed at him as he extricated himself from her grasp and moved toward the cabin door.

With a cocky grin on his face, Inuyasha kicked the door open. Kagome squealed and grabbed onto the chair when a sudden rush of air filtered into the jet, ripping and tearing and throwing everything out of the plane and into oblivion.

"You are one demented fool!" Kagome yelled over the ripping winds at the individual who was quickly approaching her.

Prying her hands from the chair, Inuyasha led her over toward the opening. Their hair whipped to and fro with the increasing speed of every passing second. "You said you trusted me," he said smirking. "So hold on."

Kagome latched on to his waist. "Inuyasha," she started hesitantly.

His eyes softened at her timidity. "I won't let anything happen to you, you know that. So just trust me."

Putting faith in his motives, Kagome let him guide her over to the edge of the door, or where the door had previously been. She buried her face deeper into his chest, the raging winds slapping and thrashing around them. Tucking her tightly into his muscular form so that she melded perfectly against him, Inuyasha, without a second thought or hesitation, jumped into the ocean.

End.

* * *

**AN**: And I bet you all were waiting for them to go to Hawaii. Sorry for those that are disappointed, but I never really did intend for them to go to the islands…well those islands anyway.

I'm such a meanie for leaving this bad cliffy, and bad chapter at that. But then again, it is four in the morning and I do have to get up at eight for a road trip. ::yawns and stretches:: Forgive me for all of the errors and such. I'll fix it all after I come back from my little vacation in Virginia. -

Review and tell me what you think! Feedback is always appreciated. -


	11. The Island

**Disclaimer**: Look at chapter 1 for if you're confused about who owns what.

An: Go me! 400 reviews….well almost 400 reviews!!! Muchos gracias people! You know your feedback and insight and comments make my day. Especially since my life is so hectic as of now. At least I had a bit of a break in Norfolk, Va. with my grandfather's good cooking and satellite tv. Sorry about the late update, but its that time of year. My prom is in a couple of weeks, as are my finals and AP exams, all three of them, so I have to put in major study time. It doesn't help that my AP biology teacher got knocked up at the beginning of the school year and had her baby a couple of months ago, making us students miss about 2 ½ months of instructional time. Wonderful.

Anyway, thanks guys for your continual support and patience. You're going to have to be especially tolerant with me over the next couple of weeks since I'm about to get out of school and need this time to prepare to graduate. So you'll have to understand why I can't respond to all of your wonderful reviews. But I do appreciate all of the feedback you guys bestow upon little ole me. I hope you enjoy the chappie you all have so patiently waited for.

Tasukifan1: The only reason that the relationship between Kagome and Inuyasha evolved as fast as it did is because they did have a previous history together which I will be addressing soon in chapters to come. Sorry if it all seemed a bit disconnected in the first couple of chapters. I plan on revising this fic very soon so just bear with me. Thanks for your insight. And I would watch more anime, but I only have basic cable so I can only see so much.

Lizz456: You read it twice? You must've been really bored. Lol. I'm just kidding. I'm glad that it appeals to ya. I hope I update fast enough for you. -

Lurid-eyes: You want to know where the pilots went? ::grins secretly:: You'll have to wait and find out.

Rash'n'sassy: Ooh, such a long review. Thanks so much. I will definitely reveal Kagome's and Inuyasha's past history on the island so just have a little patience. And I liked your idea of incorporating Kagome's yellow bag that so conveniently shows up on the beach. Would you mind if I used the concept?

Clearwater-Faerie: Thanks for your support! And you're wondering what happened to the pilots and if it had something to do with Naraku? You know I can't tell you that, so stay tuned. -

Trinity: ::gulps nervously:: Hunt me down and make me write the next chappie? He he. Was this fast enough for ya?

Angel Whispers: You live in VA? Which part? My grandparents live in Norfolk, which is the part I visited during spring break. I love VA. I'm thinking about moving there after college. Anyway, thanks for the feedback and support. I'm loving it!

Kats02980416: I'm glad you found my fic to your liking. And have no fear, for Kag and inu's relationship shall progress while they're on the island as well as other suspenseful and eventful things, so stay tuned.

Jaded: Umm…Merci? Sorry, French isn't my thing. Me gusta espanol porque mi novio es Latino. Thanks for the review!

Chibilee: I understand about the all the classes and burden of all the work. Thankfully I'm not in college…at least for a couple more months. And thanks for your review. It really means a lot since I'm a starving artist…kind of anyway. I wish you well with your studies and I'm glad that you're enjoying my fics. Ciao chica.

Cattykit: Wow. You like, wrote me a five page review…which I loved! Thanks chica. It really means a lot to me that you would take time out of your busy schedule to come review for my little fic. All of the love and appreciation and congratulations reduced me to tears when I read your review. ::tears pool in eyes at memory:: Thank you again.

Asya18: Thanks for restoring my confidence in my writing abilities. It really means a lot to hear that I'm actually a pretty good writer from one of my reviewers. Thanks for the insightful and well rounded review. And about the whole situation with the plane being a setup. I can't really divulge who exactly set them up because that would be cheating now wouldn't it? What I can say is that you should read this chappie and find out for yourself if their parents really had anything to do with the crash. Enjoy, and thanks again for the wonderful review chica!

* * *

The Island

* * *

With her legs folded beneath her in classic Indian style and her fingers continuously massaging her temple in circular motions as an attempt to assuage her headache and the stress that had accumulated over the past couple of days, Sango inhaled deeply, held it for a moment, then exhaled. "Oooooossssaaaa," she breathed, releasing all of the negative thoughts and feelings that had bogged her down, or in other words, the memories of the date with Miroku and the embarrassment, in public no less, he put her through. Even though a day had passed since the incident took place, the mortification was still fresh in her mind.

Sango bristled at the cogitation, but kept her upright form from slouching, her eyelids remaining shut though she desperately wanted to open them and glare at something just to make her feel better. '_No. Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts_.' She relaxed as images of purple ponies and white unicorns filtered into her mind.

Sucking in yet another lungful of air, Sango held it for a moment before letting it all out in one breathy sigh. "Oooooossssaaaa," she exhaled once more, and was pleasantly surprised when some of the tension that had been knotted in her upper back muscles uncoiled, leaving her with a sort of contentment and inner peace. '_Ayame was right. This meditation stuff isn't half bad at all._' Somewhat uplifted by the diminution of her high strung state, Sango continued her breathing exercises, unaware that she had an audience.

Shippou cocked his head to the side with inquiry, the wheels in his mind slowly turning in an effort to fathom what in the world his current caretaker was doing. Slightly amused and slightly disturbed by her antics, the young kit tentatively approached the cross legged girl, his ears twitching every so often at the breathy, jumbled words that passed through her lips that even his sensitive hearing couldn't decipher the meaning of.

Placing his small claws lightly on her knee, Shippou peered curiously at the muscles in her face that noticeably relaxed every time she inhaled and exhaled, all the while repeating the same foreign string of words he was unfamiliar with. The kit cleared his throat to announce his presence and waited expectantly for her response.

Neither opening her eyes or even sensing the presence of another in the room with her, Sango continued her meditation, unmindful to the tiny child before her.

Frowning when she failed to acknowledge his presence, Shippou clambered on top of his caretaker's lap and stood on his hind legs so that they were eye level. "Oi, Sango?"

The sound of a child's voice drifted into her subconscious, momentarily disrupting her train of thought and shattering what little concentration she did possess. Confused as to why her focus was broken, Sango opened her eyes to find herself face to face with cherub faced, green orbed sprite that was standing on her lap. Screaming, the taijiya in training, whose ancestors had braved the fiercest of youkai twenty times their own height and the perils of an undomesticated time era, smacked the creature off of her lap, rolled onto her side and scrambled behind the nearest sofa.

"Oww Sango! What did you do that for?" the tiny kit wailed from his face up position on the floor.

"Shippou?" Perplexed, she peeked out from behind the sofa, relief instantly replacing the apprehension that had graced her features only a few moments ago. "Its only you." A sheepish grin upturned the corners of her mouth as she emerged from her temporary hiding place. "Sorry about that. You just kind startled me." She rubbed her eyes. "That idiot has really got my nerves worked up."

Recovering, Shippou hopped to his feet. "What were you doing?"

"Well," she began, reclaiming her former cross legged position on the floor she once had before an interruption presented itself in the form of a kitsune, "I was trying to alleviate my stress and tension through steady repetitions of controlled breathing patterns while relaxing my muscles and letting my mind wander to another place and time in order to achieve the maximum stress relief environment."

Shippou stared at her blankly.

"In other words, I'm trying to calm the turmoil in my inner being," she offered upon realizing that he didn't have a clue what she was talking about.

Understanding dawned in Shippou's eyes at this. "Because Miroku embarrassed your inner and outer being when he tore off you dress in public?" he questioned in an innocent manner.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, suppressed anger beginning to bubble within in her. "Yes, because of that," she said in a tight voice. "Why don't you go play with the toys Kagome bought you. I'm sure that's by far more interesting than watching me sit here and breath."

Shippou's ears and tail wilted sadly. "I miss Kagome. We played together yesterday before she left. She was fun to play with. Nobody plays with me like Kagome does."

Sympathy replaced the anger as Sango looked at the kit. Her brown eyes widened as an idea struck her. "How about I play with you in twenty minutes, right after I'm done with my meditation? Would you like that?"

Shippou immediately perked up. "Really? You'd do that for me?" he asked, happiness shining in his big green eyes as he bounced up and down with barely contained enthusiasm.

Sango laughed at his childlike display of glee. "Anything you want. I promised Kagome that I'd look out for you while she was gone and I will."

The kit squealed with joy. "Thanks Sango! I'll go wait for outside! I'll be real patient and quiet so you can get done soon!" He bounded out of the room in a flash, ecstatic that he had a new playmate. He wouldn't be lonely without Kagome after all.

Chuckling lightly to herself, Sango closed her eyes and returned to her previous activity. Mentally preparing her mind to enter a state of complete relaxation, Sango took in a deep lungful of air. "Oooooossssaaaa."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Growling at the unwelcome intrusion, Sango's eyelids snapped open irritation. "Kouga? What are you doing here? And why didn't you say good bye to Kagome and Inuyasha before they left?"

The wolf youkai smirked cockily as he leaned on the doorframe of the room. "I had important business to take care of."

Sango's eyes narrowed. This guy was just too much. "More important than saying good bye to Kagome, who will be gone for the duration of the summer?"

Kouga grinned and waved a white envelope in the air. "I didn't say farewell because in a couple of days, I'll be joining her." His grin widened at the girl's bemused expression. "I went to pick up my ticket to Hawaii. You didn't really expect me to sit back and let my woman go to the islands all alone with mutt face did you? So yesterday, I put in the call to the airline services and ordered a one way ticket to Hawaii."

There was a pregnant pause on Sango's part as she digested this new information. There was never a dull moment in this house. "Umm, Kouga? Didn't Kagome already talk to you about where your….relationship stands as of now?"

His grin faded, his cobalt orbs becoming clouded over with some inexplicable emotion. "Actually, we did have a heart to heart the morning before she left, and I learned some very disturbing things," he revealed solemnly, his thoughts turning to what Kagome had said earlier about Ayame's infatuation with him, which inevitability led to Kagome's lying about her feelings for him in order for her friend to get what she wanted.

'_So Kagome did tell him that she didn't love him after all_,' Sango mused, thinking that Kouga now knew that Kagome didn't love him as he loved her. "I see that you've taking this surprisingly well."

The wolf youkai shrugged indifferently. "I'm just glad everything's out in the open now and not behind closed doors." He shook his head broodingly at the thought of the extent of Ayame's jealousy and greed. "I would've never have guessed that about her. That just goes to show you that people aren't always what they seem."

Sango nodded in agreement since she could relate, then changed the subject. "So what are you going to about Ayame? Are you going to tell her how you feel about this whole situation?" She inquired, ignorant to the fact that they were both on different pages.

"I don't know. Its just a lot to deal with right now. I've always thought of her as a friend. I had no idea she was harboring such strong emotions for me." Detaching himself from the doorframe, Kouga stretched. "Well, I'm going to start packing. My plane leaves tomorrow afternoon and I don't want to miss it. I'll catch you later."

"Bye." '_Wait, why would he be going to see Kagome if he knows that Ayame is in love with him?_' Confusion stirred her mind, prohibiting her from sinking back into the mental state of relaxation and peace that was necessary in order for her to be in a stress free environment. With construing the complex love triangle between her friends bringing about another bout of headaches, Sango decided to drop the confounding issue for now and closed her eyes once more. '_Maybe now I will be able to do my meditation without any hindrances_.'

No sooner had she began shutting her mind off to the world, when a subtle knock on the doorframe of the entrance brought her back to reality. "What now Kouga?" she asked not bothering to open her eyes.

A throat was cleared in uncertainty and light footsteps began making their way into the interior of the meditation room where she sat cross legged on the floor. "Sango? May I have a word or two with you?"

The taijiya'swent ramrod straightat the sound of the monk's silky voice. "And what do you want?" she asked coldly, opening her eyes to glare at the nuisance that made it his business to inconvenience and hassle her as he cautiously approached her, his hands behind his back. Ignoring the way her heart began to beat wildly when the scent of his musky, tantalizing cologne wafted into her nose and the way the guilt and remorse his mauve colored eyes pulled at her heartstrings, she retained her erect position as he stopped a few feet in front of her.

Miroku offered a small smile to signify that he meant no harm, his hands remaining in their concealed position behind him. "Why hello my dear Sango. How are you fairing this fine morning?"

A reproachful glare was all he received in response.

The monk shifted nervously in his spot. Somehow he didn't expect an apology would be so hard to get out, and it wasn't helping that Sango looked like she wanted to jump up and tear his spleen out with her teeth. Miroku inwardly winced at the thought. Putting on one of his best award winning smiles on his face, he took another bold step toward the sitting taijiya. "Sango, I come to you today in peace and in hopes that we can put the incident at the restaurant behind us and move on with our lives."

She continued to stare at him in disdain.

He silently groaned in frustration. Why did the woman he fancied have to be so stubborn and pig headed? Not to be deterred from his mission, Miroku persisted with his appeal. "And this humble servant of Buddha would like to offer you a gift as a way of saying I'm sorry for what happened the other night."

The muscle in her jaw twitched. "Do you really thing you can just buy me off with one of your cheap gi-" Her flow of words ceased to spill from her lips as he brought his hands from behind her back and presented her with a token of his affection and as his act of contrition.

The tiny neko youkai in his hands opened her crimson eyes slowly to stare at her new master inquisitively. Lustrous beige fur covered her lithe frame, save for her ears, which were splattered with black, and the bottoms of her paws that seemed to have been dipped in black. Double striped tails wagged to and fro in enthusiasm as the feline cocked her head to the side, a black diamond shaped mark gracing the center of her face.

Unable to contain her excitement and further, Sango squealed in delight and jumped to her feet. "She is so beautiful," the taijiya exclaimed ecstatically while taking the tiny creature from his hands, her anger at the monk forgotten in her blissful state.

'_Not as beautiful as you, Sango_,' Miroku thought grinning as he gazed at the object of his desires while she danced around with neko youkai in her arms. After Shippou had suggested that he should give her a present for humiliating her in public the other day, he had immediately assumed that she would love something cute and furry. And the neko youkai he had seen at the pet store the previous day seemed perfect for her. It was the least he could do to still the turbulence he sensed within her spirit.

"Thank you so much Miroku," Sango voice brought him back to reality. "This is the best gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you." She rose on her tip toes and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, obviously too caught up in the thrill of having a pet to notice who exactly she was showing affection to.

A light blush stole across his cheeks. He definitely hadn't been expecting that. "Uh, you're welcome Sango dearest. I'd do anything to see that big beautiful smile of yours," Miroku smiled, glad to see that her usual scowl had departed from her captivating face.

"I think I'll name you….Kirara," Sango said stroking her velvety ears. "A pretty name for such a pretty creature as yourself."

Kirara mewled cutely in response, as if to agree with her master's words on both the name and the pretty comment about herself.

"Come on. I want to show you around and let you meet the household. Shippou will be so pleased to have a new playmate." Without a second glance to the beaming monk or a second thought towards her meditation, Sango left with her new pet in her arms.

Miroku pouted. No more kisses and hugs for him? No declarations of love? His brows knitted together in frustration and confusion. Instead of praising and lavishing him with attention, she was bestowing it all upon the small feline. Perhaps he should have rethought his choice of gifts. The only up side was that she was no longer angry at him for "accidentally" ripping off her dress.

'_Maybe if I give her a dog she'll agree to go on another date with me_,' Miroku thought to himself as he departed from the meditation room, a smile lighting up his features as he explored the possibilities of his options.

* * *

The pounding of waves crashing onto a shoreline extracted a sleeping hanyou from the depths of unconsciousness. The first thing Inuyasha noticed as the haze of fogginess that cloaked his brain retreated back to whence it came was the smell of salt water that teased his senses. Warm rays of the sun permeated through his soaked clothing and infused his energy deprived body with heat, giving him the will to come to his senses.

Vaguely aware that something lay on top of him and that something gritty lay under him, Inuyasha opened his eyes and immediately regretted it as the intense emission of the sun penetrated his sight. Waiting until the momentary blindness wore off, Inuyasha lay there with his eyes closed again as he tried to recall what happened the previous day and why the hell he was laying on a beach. His face scrunched up in concentration. Hawaii. Plane. No pilots. Destroyed controls. Jumping into the ocean with Kagome…Kagome.

Slightly panicked, his eyes snapped open instantaneously at the thought of her as he disregarded the piercing light from above. Did she make it? Had he lost her at sea? Did she survive the jump? Remembering the light weight on top of him, the hanyou glanced hurriedly down and relaxed when he saw her sleeping form still cradled in his arms. Wisps of damp hair clung to her pale face. Her delicate arms were still tightly wrapped around his torso, as if afraid he would leave her.

'_She looks like a sleeping angel,_' Inuyasha observed with a small smile as he brought one of his claws to her face and gently brushed the raven locks that were plastered to her face back behind her ear. But his smile quickly turned upside down, his blood turning to ice in his veins. '_Shit. She isn't breathing_.' Swiftly extricating himself from her constricting grasp, Inuyasha turned the girl as gently as possible on her back all the while keeping his fear in check. This wasn't the time to panic.

Fumbling for her arm, the hanyou checked her wrist for a pulse and cursed in frustration when he couldn't find one. "Fuck, Kagome you had better not be dead." Curbing the anxiety that had steadily began to run rampant within himself, Inuyasha placed an ear above her right breast and mentally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her heart quietly pounding in her chest. It was faint, but at least it was there. His relief increased tenfold every time that her weak heartbeat strengthened and every moment that her breathing evened out.

A subtle pressure against her body drew Kagome from the dark abyss that had shrouded her mind in a haven of slumber. Cringing inwardly at the bright sunlight overhead as her eyes slowly fluttered open, Kagome waited patiently until her blurred vision returned to normal. As the last remnants of sleep faded away, Kagome stifled a giggle as something furry tickled her chest. Glancing down, she discerned a dark form hovering above her breasts and immediately assumed the worst.

Thinking that it was some kind of molester trying to take advantage of her and not even taking into account that she only knew one person that had a flowing mane of silver hair, Kagome screamed for all she was worth and kneed the strange man with all her might.

Howling in pain, her assailant rolled off of her, giving her the opportunity to get up and run. Unfortunately her body thought otherwise. Waves of nausea flooded her senses as she sat up abruptly, causing her vision to swim and her head to undergo a series of dizzy spells.

"Bitch! What the hell did you do that for?"

That voice. Kagome squinted through the sunlight and swirling scenery at the figure who had tried to molest her and was at present clutching his stomach in obvious pain. "Inuyasha? Is that you?"

"Of course its me wench! Who else would it fucking be?" Ignoring the spikes of pain in his lower abdomen where she had landed a powerful blow, Inuyasha stood and glared at the pale girl on the sand beside him. "What the hell were you thinking kneeing me like that? Do you know what kind of pain I'd be going through if you had kneed me any lower? My balls don't need a repeat of the other day."

With the nausea receding and the dizziness wearing off, Kagome came to her feet unsteadily to glare back at him. "I thought you were a molester," she said tartly.

"You thought I was a fucking molester! Here I was trying to see if I needed to do CPR on your stupid ass and you want to knee me in my stomach. You are one ungrateful bitch."

Kagome felt her anger sky rocket. "Don't call me an ungrateful bitch you jerk! It's not my fault I'm slightly disoriented in the morning!"

He smirked at her trying to stand on wobbly legs and crossed his arms. "Slightly? That's a laugh."

"Listen here you dumb jerk, I…" Kagome trailed off as she became aware of exactly where they were arguing. Sunny skies. Beaches. Palm trees. Her brow furrowed in bewilderment. "Are we in Hawaii?" She didn't remember landing and getting off of the plane. Did she have one too many drinks on the plane? This scene was vaguely similar to one she had had not too long ago involving stripping men and too many martinis.

Inuyasha snorted at her perplexity. "You are the dumbest bitch I've ever laid eyes on, you know that? Let me give you a little recap of yesterday. We were flying on a private jet to Hawaii. The pilots disappeared. The jet began to plummet for the ocean. I looked out the window and saw this small island in the distance. We jumped out. I swam all the way to the shore of this deserted looking island with your unconscious ass in my arms. Remember now?"

Kagome's anger at the hanyou immediately dissipated as she dredged up the memories of yesterday. All of the excitement, fear and anxiety she had felt the previous day was brought back from the recesses of her mind where she had unconsciously pushed them to. The last thing she could vividly remember was Inuyasha's strong arms enveloping her tightly in a protective hold as they plunged into the shadowy depths of the ocean, where she proceeded to faint from sheer trepidation. "You really swam with me all the way to this island? That was really brave and sweet of you Inuyasha," she asked in a soft tone, a soft blush gracing her cheeks at the mere thought of him rescuing her from unparalleled doom.

Inuyasha fought the urge to flush at the compliment and inwardly berated himself for loving the way his name rolled off of her tongue in a way that touched his soul. The tinge of pink on her face made the butterflies in his stomach flutter in a flurry. Why was she the only girl who could do that to him? "It wasn't brave or sweet in the least. I had to save you or else our parents would've killed me for letting your weak ass drown. Don't take it personal," he scoffed in an attempt to cover up his own discomfort at the way his body was reacting her.

She bit her lip to refrain from saying anything nasty. After all, he did rescue her from impending death, jeopardizing his own life for the safety of her own. It wasn't his fault he didn't take appreciation very well. The least she could do was let him win one of their inane argument. "Thanks Inuyasha, for saving my life. Sorry for biting your head off…and for kneeing you," Kagome thanked and apologized to him at the same time, gratitude shining in her sparkling eyes.

Flustered by the way her depthless pools of blue were affecting him, Inuyasha suppressed another rising blush and responded with his trademark "keh".

"Umm, Inuyasha?" Kagome surveyed their surroundings hesitantly. "So, there are other people on this island, right? Like people with phones or radios so that we can call our parents and tell them to come pick us up from here."

Scowling, Inuyasha's furry ears rotated atop his head, searching deftly from some sign of intelligent life besides himself, while he sniffed the air to see if there were any lingering scents of humans or youkai alike. His scowl deepened when he failed to pick up anything remotely akin to civilization. Presently, there was only wild life inhabiting the land mass. "There are no people on this island."

Kagome felt her heart skip a beat. "What? What do mean there's no people on this island?"

The hanyou turned his irritated gaze from the green forest beyond the beach to the fairly panicked female in beside him. "There. Are. No. People. On. This. Island."

Kagome put a leash on her annoyance and exasperation toward her companion's lackadaisical disposition concerning their current dilemma. "So, oh calm one, what do you suppose we do?"

Inuyasha plopped down on the sand, ignoring the throb of his lower stomach where she had kneed him in and folded his legs and arms in an apathetic manner. "We wait."

"Wait for what?"

His ear twitched in annoyance. "Wait for someone to come pick us up stupid. They know we were en route to Hawaii and when they realize that our jet hasn't arrived there yet, they'll send a search and rescue squad to come find us. This island shouldn't be very far from the plane's coordinates so they'll be able to pinpoint our location easily."

"Aren't you Mister Know-It-All," Kagome muttered sitting down next to him, somewhat embarrassed by her lack of common sense and that she had been outsmarted by Inuyasha of all people. That was definitely not something to be proud of.

They sat together in comfortable silence for a moment while watching the waves collided into the water's edge, neither having anything to say to the other.

Kagome began drumming her fingers on her knee in boredom, disliking long, drawn out silences. "So how long do you suppose we'll be stuck here?"

Inuyasha shrugged as he stared at the seemingly endless blue ocean. "Probably within the next couple of hours. I seriously doubt that we'll be staying here overnight." He shifted his gaze to Kagome, who had leaned in toward him, curiosity dancing in her mystifying orbs. His heart did somersaults in his chest at their close proximity. "What?" he snapped.

"Why are you acting like you're the embodiment of equanimity?" she questioned with a tilt of the head.

He rolled his eyes. "Common sense is not so common," he muttered, but was loud enough for her to hear.

The vein above her eye began to tic, but she said nothing. It was bad enough that she was stranded on some deserted island with nobody but Inuyasha as company and she wasn't in the mood for another pointless dispute. Burrowing her feet beneath the warm surface of the white sand, Kagome brought her knees to her chest and rested her cheek on her legs and let the series of events that led up to their being marooned on this island run through her mind.

A frown tugged at the corners of her lips as she reflected on what transpired on the plane. If there happened to be a malfunction with the plane, shouldn't there've been parachutes just in case of an emergency? And where did the pilots go? Did they jump out of the plane after seeing that the plane was out of order? And if they did, why didn't they warn her and Inuyasha as well? The frown on her face deepened. And why were all the control smashed? "Inuyasha, why-"

"I don't know," he replied before she could finish her statement, as if reading her mind. Silver eyebrows knitted together in deliberation. "At first I thought it was another one of our parents ploys to get us to like each other, but I don't think that they would risk our safety in order to ensure that this merger works out. This would be a little extreme even for them."

Kagome snorted. "Are you sure about that? My parents have worked their asses off for this company and I'm sure that they're not about to let us ruin the corporate empire that they've strived so hard to build." A bitter smile appeared on her face. "The company was their life. It's so important to them."

"More important than their daughter?" Inuyasha inquired, his golden orbs finally leaving the aesthetic beauty of the ocean of water to meet her troubled sapphire orbs.

"I guess we'll find out in a couple of hours," she responded monotonously, however her companion could detect the tension in the undertones of her voice, but chose not to remark on it, knowing that it was too sensitive a subject to explore at the moment. And from judging her agitated façade and the lack of enthusiasm that was usually dancing in her eyes, he decided to not to provoke her any further on the matter, and therefore kept quiet.

The muscles in his jaw tightened as he thought about what had happened. If it hadn't been their parents who set the crash up, though he seriously doubted they would take things as far as that, who had done it? Who was desperate enough to want them dead? Inuyasha only hoped that it wasn't one of the hundreds of girls that he had blown off and whom had decided to take it upon themselves to kill him as some sort of reprisal.

* * *

"How do you think they're doing right now?" Megumi asked twisting a long strand of her ebony hair around her forefinger.

"I'm sure they're fine koishi," Inutaisho answered as he scribbled away on his pad of paper.

"Are you sure that they're alright? I told that idiot of a son of ours to call once he arrived there." Pushing away the stack of forms that had yet to be filled out due to her worried state of mind, Megumi tapped one long manicured finger upon the desk. "Do you think something could have happened to them?"

"Maybe the flight was delayed sweetheart," the taiyoukai offered not bothering to lift his head from the tremendous amount of paperwork that needed his attention at the moment.

Megumi stared jadedly out of the full length windows that oversaw a great portion of the magnificent city of Tokyo due to the enormous height of the building. "What if their plane crashed?"

"Then we would've heard about it on the radio or television."

"What if it has been hijacked by terrorists?"

"Then I would have been informed of such developments by now."

"What if-"

"Koishi," Inutaisho began, finally glancing up from his work to look his worried mate in the face, "if you are so concerned about this matter, why don't you call Inuyasha's cell phone and find out instead of waiting impatiently for him to call."

A bright smile spread across her features. "Now why didn't I think of that?" Before she could reach across the table for the phone, it rang, the shrill sound piercing the stillness of the plush office area with its high pitched timbre. Slightly agitated that she wouldn't be able to call her son right away, Megumi picked up the receiver. "Yes Suki?" She listened for a moment. "I'll talk to him, put him through."

The taiyoukai lifted up his head from his paperwork again upon noticing the abnormal silence that seemed to pervade the enclosed yet spacious room. A low growl rumbled in his chest when the smell of anxiety and fear began to emit from his mate's aura. Wrinkles creased his forehead as she hung up the phone in an almost zombie fashion, her eyes glazed over in shock and confusion. "Well? Who was it? What did they want? If it was those damn telemarketers again-"

"Inuyasha and Kagome never got on the plane," she cut him off, her voice laden with anxiety and distress.

Something flickered through his golden orbs before they returned to their usual composed state. "Are they that desperate to evade this trip? I thought they would be excited about going to islands."

"Taisho, the limousine service that was supposed to pick them up just reported that the chauffeur that was scheduled to drive them to the airport was found murdered this morning in a ditch not too far away from main highway. "

"What are you talking about? I called the limo company last night and talked with the chauffeur personally and he confirmed that they had boarded the plane."

Both of their eyes widened in realization. If the driver that was scheduled to pick up their son and daughter in law was found murdered, someone else had lied to them, saying that they had gotten on the plane, and they had failed to check in with their parents as of yet, then what had happened to the newlyweds.

"Shit."

End.

* * *

AN: See, that wasn't such a bad cliffy for those of you who despise them. - I'm not particularly happy with this chappie, but hey, revisions and such will be made later. Probably after prom. Hope you enjoyed this chappie and since I can't guarantee that I'll be updating within the next week, here's a little preview of what is to come.

Next chapter: Confrontation between Kouga and Ayame. Confusion, fear, guilt, and panic between the parentals. Inuyasha and Kagome….trying to get along on a secluded island…cut off from all civilization with nobody but each other for company….oh what shall they do?

Until next time people. Now I'm going to bury my head in one of my many textbooks and go do some quality studying time. What fun that shall be. TT


	12. The Seclusion

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plot line, so don't sue.

AN: Hey guys. I'm finally back with the next installment. My high school career is finally over. ::tears of joy stream down face:: I'm so happy. No more school!…well until college begins in the fall, but I'm not even trying to think about that. And now that it's all over, I'll have more time to update and even post this story that has been plaguing my mind for some time now. - I only wish my mother would stop nagging me to get a job. I hate working. -- At least prom was fun, or would have been more fun had I not got a cold the day before and lost my voice. But it was still all good.

Anyway, thank people for all the wonderful reviews you have so graciously bestowed upon me. You really love me!…or my fic, but that's ok too! And I'm glad to say that I've edited some of the other chapter so this thing flows better than before. I would've posted review responses but I'm really busy preparing for graduation so I you'll have to bear with me. A special thanks to **_rash'n'sassy _**for allowing me to use her idea with the Kagome's yellow bag in this chapter. You guys keep reviewing and I'll keep writing. I love you all! So go on and enjoy the show!

* * *

The Seclusion

* * *

Ayame pranced merrily down the hall, a bright smile beaming on her face. Happiness exuded from her aura due to the overwhelming love and joy that overflowed within her heart. 'It is such a beautiful day,' she mused humming to herself. Kagome had severed ties with Kouga, so Kouga was now free for the taking. Her taking to be more precise.

With her hypersensitive hearing, she had heard him awaken and go down to breakfast earlier. Figuring that he needed a little time to himself after Kagome's leave, she hadn't confronted him yesterday. But today was a new day and she wanted, no needed to tell him how she felt about him and finally get it off of her chest before it drove her to insanity. Admitting her love to him, and finding a way to break it to him, had weighed heavily on her mind a good portion of the night. And after hour upon hour of deliberation, she had finally decided just to be up front and forward, which was the way she preferred it. Now it was time for the telling.

His door was slightly ajar as she came to a halt outside of it, sounds of zipping and shuffling could be heard from within the interior. Ayame poked her head in to see what all the commotion was about. Suitcases and travel bags were laid out on his bed, some partially full, others packed to full capacity, their side bulging with his excess belongings.

A look of confusion flitted across her face. 'He isn't planning on moving out since Kagome doesn't love him anymore, is he?' Her heart constricted painfully in her chest at the thought. 'He can't be leaving, he just can't. Not when I'm so close to having him.' Shoes and various clothing items flew out of the closet and onto his bed alongside his suitcases, further inciting her curiosity as to why it looked like he was preparing to leave on some kind of trip.

Intent on her purpose of telling him her feelings and finding out where exactly he was going, Ayame knocked on the door before taking a hesitant step into the room. "Kouga? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

He continued to rummage through his closet, not even bothering to acknowledge her presence, a clear indication that he had not heard her or was choosing to ignore her. Ayame hoped for the former rather than the latter. "Kouga, I need to talk to you about something that's been on my mind for a long time now." She suppressed her arising zeal when he his activities within the closet stilled.

Confident that he was listening now, she pressed on. "Ever since I first saw you, I've had the biggest crush on you. At first I thought it was just a growing fondness and would wear off, but as time wore on, each year my feelings for you grew. That's when I realized that they were not merely infatuation or puppy love, but something greater and stronger than anything I've ever felt before. And when you took Kagome as your girlfriend, I finally recognized tat I was head over heels in love with you. I couldn't bear the thought of you with someone else; it literally tore me up inside to see you with her everyday. And even though Kagome is my best friend, I couldn't help but feel jealous and wanting you all for myself."

She chuckled at her forwardness. "Sorry if I seem a bit brash, but I felt the need to get this burden off of my chest for some time. I'm just glad that I've finally gotten up the nerve to say that. I was always afraid of how you'd react to all of this and now that you and Kagome aren't together anymore, I just figured that this would be a good time to express my love for you."

Silence met her words. Ayame bit her lip nervously after a few moments went by and he still didn't respond. Maybe she had scared him with her boldness. "Kouga?"

The wolf youkai finally emerged from the recesses of his closet, his face a stoic mask of impassiveness, his remote cobalt eyes betraying none of what he felt.

"Kouga? Are you ok?" she asked hesitantly when he walked over to his king size bed and commenced with his packing, neither reacting to her declaration of love or even sparing her a glance. Ayame felt tears burning at the backs of her eyeballs at his apparent rejection. '_Maybe this was a bad idea. He obviously doesn't like me since he hasn't said anything by now_.' She bent her head so her bangs would hide the stream of tears that made their way down her tanned face.

"Don't bother wasting your tears here, they won't do you any good," Kouga spoke up, his words tinged with rancor and spite, his back still turned as he neatly placed his shoes inside of one of the suitcases. "Are you done with your speech, because quite frankly I was getting tired of hearing you drone on and on about your little obsession with me." He ignored her gasp of surprise and carried on. "I don't know how Kagome managed to put up with your manic fixation with myself and if you weren't one of her best friends, I'd make damn sure that you'd never come around here. Ever. I don't know what goes on through that twisted mind of yours and I sure as hell don't want to find out. But I do know this."

Regarding her hurt and tearful expression with little concern, Kouga stepped up to her in 3 long strides, burning anger simmering deep within his cobalt orbs. Ayame shrank back from his intimidating form, her mind, body, and soul at the breaking point, but she withheld from letting all the pain and anguish she felt show. She was stronger than that.

"Because of you, Kagome was forced to lie about her feelings about me," he growled in a low voice, his blazing eyes never leaving her own. "Because of you, I was dumped by the woman I loved for four fucking years because of the covetous and greedy intentions of her neurotic little friend. Because of you, my heart was practically ripped out of my chest when my Kagome denounced her love for me." Ayame found herself pinned against the wall, trapped under Kouga's hard body and ensnared in his heated stare.

"K-Kouga," she stuttered in bewilderment and hurt as her tearful eyes stared up into his, confused as to why he was blaming her for his and Kagome's breakup, "what are you talking about? Kagome decided on her own free will to end you two's relationship."

"Only after you told her about your obsession with myself," he growled in a low, guttural tone.

A streak of pain shot through Ayame's heart. Kagome had said that she was obsessed with Kouga? Why was it that the pain of the betrayal of a fried hurt more so than the pain of a love lost? Kagome. Her long time best friend since forever, had actually lied to him about her? How could she do something like that? Lost within the turbulence of her own thoughts, Ayame failed to notice Kouga had left her side until he reappeared by the door, bags and suitcases in hand.

He stopped on his way out, his spine stiff with resentment, his eyes pointedly ignoring her pleading ones as he stared out into the hallway. "Stay away from me. I don't want to see your pathetic hide until you have gotten some kind of psychological aid to help you with your unhealthy fixation on myself. I think it would be in your best interest to follow through and do as I say because if I do catch you trying to stalk myself or inflicting any kind of emotional or physical pain upon my woman, I won't hesitate to notify the local authorities and have you locked up in a mental institution."

And without another word, he left, leaving a heart broken and confused wolf youkai in his wake.

* * *

Kagome sighed and tugged at the stuffy kimono that her mother had to forced her to wear. She hated getting dressed up, especially to one of her parents' stupid gala events that called for the entire family to participate in. She would much rather be at home watching TV or playing video games. Even helping the maids do laundry was sounding nice about now. 'Anything would be more fun than sitting here and listening to these boring adults chatter' she thought disdainfully looking out upon the masses of people from her accommodation as they talked and laughed about things that weren't in the least bit interesting to her.

Squirming restlessly in her seat, Kagome reached over and tugged her the sleeve of her mother's olive colored haori, who was sipping on her tea with grace that only a woman of proper standing could achieve. "Why are we here again?" It was a stupid question that she no doubt already knew the answer to, but it was better than sitting in boredom with nothing to do other than thinking about things she wanted to do.

Arching an inquisitive brow at her 8 year old's inane query, Hitomi paused mid sip to answer. "Because sweetie, this is a family affair among business people. This gives us a chance to check out some of our competitors and who we'll be running up against in the corporate industry," she responded matter of factly, her brown eyes slanting a casual glance over the crowd while mentally assessing and storing information about her opponents that would be useful in the long run.

"This is stupid," Kagome muttered under her breath, a scowl deeply set on her childish features. It was cruel and unusual torture for her parents to subjugate her to such inhumane affliction when she had much better things to be doing right about now, like having a life. It was mean of them to make her sit there and act like the pleasant daughter of the owners of Higurashi Corporations and greet other prominent businesspeople like she was glad to make their acquaintance. In all truthfulness, she could care less about these social functions her parents persisted in dragging her to.

"Kagome." Her father's coaxing, yet commanding voice momentarily disrupted her thought process and inevitably brought her back to the land of the living, much to her disappointment. Upon noticing that her father had brought yet another couple to introduce his family to, she automatically assumed the usual standing position beside her already upright parents.

"Kagome, I'd like you to meet the Takeda's. They are the owners of one the top technological innovating companies in Japan, whose products rival even our own. Megumi, Inutaisho, I'd like you to meet our little girl, Kagome," Ryo introduced proudly.

"It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," she said with the customary bow to show respect to the couple, her voice dripping with just the right amount of sweetness and sincerity. She had been bowing so much today it was a wonder she wasn't permanently stuck in the position.

"Oh, she is just a little cutie," the woman squealed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Higurashi Kagome," the man's booming tenor startled her back up to attention again and she blinked, as if for the first time actually seeing them. Kagome stared in awe at the tall domineering figure of the inuyoukai in front of her, his distinctive golden eyes locked on to hers, amusement and mischief dancing in them. Long, silky strands of silvery white hair were pulled back into a low ponytail at the base of his neck. Magenta stripes were wrapped elegantly around his strong wrists, a blue crescent half moon adorned the center of his forehead, which was half shrouded beneath wisps of silver bangs.

But his appearance wasn't as nearly as baffling as something else that seemed out of place. Cocking her head to the side in an inquisitive manner, she gazed up at his wife fascinatingly as she conversed with her mother. She didn't look like a youkai. Megumi-san had neither the markings of a demon or the pointed ears that her spouse possessed. "I thought youkai didn't take humans as their mates because they think we're inferior," Kagome blurted out with no consideration whatsoever.

"Kagome," Hitomi hissed, half ready to drag her daughter back to the car and leave her there for the remaining duration of the event for her outright discourtesy. "Apologize for your blatant rudeness to the Takeda's."

"No, no, an apology isn't needed. Kagome shouldn't be reprimanded for being curious," Megumi reassured the other woman with a smile before turning her attention to the crestfallen girl. "Not all youkai think humans are inferior, which is one of the reasons I married Inutaisho. He believes that humans and demons alike should put aside their differences and work together to create a peaceful, more harmonious world." Her brown eyes brightened as she came across an idea. "Let me introduce you to our sons."

Kagome waited patiently as the taiyoukai signaled for his sons to join them and moved aside when they arrive so she could meet them. She tried with much effort not to let the shock she felt as her eyes swept across each boy, whom could have been mistaken for twins if not for the height difference and the subtle differences in appearance. Although both had inherited their father's stark silver white tresses and golden eyes, the oldest of the two, with his refined and almost feminine features, studied her in a cold, calculating sort of way that made her feel insignificant under his heavy gaze. The magenta markings clearly displaying that he was in fact, an exact replica of his father, save for the stoic mask that concealed any emotion that he might have been feeling at the moment whereas his father's aura was exuding warmth and friendliness.

A small smile upturned the corners of her mouth as she drank in the sight of the snow white puppy ears that adorned the crown of the other boy's head. Unlike the apathetic demeanor of his brother, whose frosty stare could have frozen her to the spot had she not shifted her attention, the younger brother reeked of irritability and simmering anger. With his amber eyes narrowed at her in annoyance and his arms shoved deep within the sleeves of his red haori, he looked like an angry puppy whose favorite chew toy had been taken away.

Kagome inwardly giggled at the thought.

"Kagome, I'd like you to meet my sons. Sesshoumaru is the eldest and Inuyasha is the youngest. Sess, Yasha, I'd like you to meet Higurashi Kagome and her parents, Higurashi Ryo and his wife Higurashi Hitomi," Inutaisho introduced one to the other.

Taking this time to get a better glimpse at what had captured her attention from the start, Kagome treaded softly over to the spot where Inuyasha stood in boredom, muttering a barely audible hello, more to her parents than herself.

Inuyasha's spine instantly stiffened when he felt a pair of soft hands tweaking his ears. Amber orbs focused in irritation on the girl beside him, who was having such a good time playing with his ears that she failed to notice that she was starting to piss him off. "What do you think you are doing?" he ground out through clenched teeth.

Kagome stopped petting his ears, pink spreading across her cheeks at the fact that she had been caught in the act of doing something that would be considered rude by the standards of her mother. "Umm, sorry, I just wanted to see if they were real," she apologized with a sheepish smile.

"You're so stupid. Of course they're real. This isn't a costume party is it?" he snapped.

Anger instantly replaced the embarrassment she had been feeling only a moment ago. And her mother complained that her behavior was appalling. "You don't have to be a jerk about it!"

"I wouldn't have to be a jerk about it if you weren't so dim-witted! Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

"You're nagging about me not having any manners and you're the one screaming at me like the big baby that you are!"

His amber eyes alighted with fiery indignation at the accusation. "I don't nag! And I'm not a baby, ugly!"

"Idiot dog!"

"Stinky wench!"

This was the part when Kagome preceded to tackle the unsuspecting hanyou and begin pummeling him with her small fists, outraged at being called stinky. She had always prided herself with her cleanliness and aromatic scent and to have it debased by some lowly dog eared boy was more than any little girl with the highest in hygiene morals could take.

* * *

Yawning, Kagome shifted uncomfortably on the gritty sand beneath her, the billions of infinitesimal grains of rock clinging to her entire body not being the greatest feeling in the world when trying to sleep. Unable to return to the blissful world of nothingness with the sweltering sun burning her to a crisp overhead and the itchiness that came with sleeping on the dirt like substance below her, Kagome reluctantly opened her eyes to the world, shielding them with a draped arm before the pervasive rays of the sun began their brutal assault upon her already hazy vision.

She frowned suddenly, reflecting on the dream, or rather flashback of the past that had recently taken place within her subconscious. It had been of the first time that she had met Inuyasha, but the reason to why she was dreaming of an encounter she had long since put behind her was a mystery. That had been one of those events that were best left within the recesses of one's mind. '_Great, this heat is making me delusional. Now I see him when I'm sleep as well as when I'm awake. Oh joy_.'

The soft crunch of sand a little ways above her lying form alerted Kagome that in a few moments she would no longer be alone. Figuring that she'd rather be alone with her thoughts than alone arguing over trivial things with Inuyasha who would undoubtedly intensify her already heightened state of frustration at being stranded on some godforsaken island, she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. Maybe if he saw that she was still snoozing, he would go away and leave her at peace by herself.

Despite the fact that someone's shadow was towering over her lithe frame, graciously blocking out some of the penetrating beams of the sun, Kagome refused to acknowledge his presence and remained still. Something heavy was released with a loud 'plop' beside her dormant form, producing a startled squeak and irritated glare from the girl was supposed to be asleep. "Do you mind?" she snapped with mock petulance, completely disregarding the object that was placed before her.

"I knew your ass wasn't asleep, so stop faking like you were," Inuyasha snorted disdainfully crouching down alongside of her, consequently allowing her a better view of his bronzed physique since his profile was no longer shadowed by the sun.

Kagome's eyes widened appreciatively as she took in his outward appearance. Already adequately tanned, Inuyasha had shed his shirt and pants and was now squatted before her wearing nothing but Spongebob Squarepants boxers, which left little to the imagination. His dripping mane of silver hair clung to his back and various parts of his face and neck, droplets of the liquid ran freely down his toned torso and muscular thighs and legs in a manner similar to familiar pictures of sexy male models she and her friends like to gawk at.

"Oi, are you even listening to me bitch?"

Her eyes narrowed at his all too proverbial line, shattering any thoughts of naughtiness that had been previously running through her head. "I am now. What do you want?" '_Damn him for looking like some kind of bronzed Adonis that just stepped out of the show-_' Kagome left her mental thought incomplete at the sight of her yellow book bag he had carelessly thrown in front of her only moments. "Inuyasha! Where did you get this?" she gasped, utter euphoria evident in her voice as she hurriedly sat up.

The hanyou's eyes rolled in annoyance at her ignorance, but couldn't help but feel smug at his discovery and her elation over it. "Well while you were dead to the world, I walked along with shoreline and found this baby bobbing a couple of miles from here, so I swam out, picked it up and brought it back."

A grin spread out across her face. "Inuyasha, if I were any more happier I would jump over this bag and give you a kiss right now," she said, too distracted with opening the bag to notice the crestfallen façade of the hanyou the moment her words spilled from her mouth.

Choking back his disappointment that he would not be receiving that aforementioned kiss, he put his usual scowl back in place and crossed his arms while she busied herself with digging amongst the things inside the bag. "I hope that there's a cell phone or handheld computer in that ugly piece of crap you call a book bag," he announced impatiently.

Kagome stopped rummaging through her things, a sense of foreboding settling upon her soul. '_He's not going to be very happy when he finds out I don't have any of the above in here. And after he did all that work trying to get it._' She bit her lip, placing her textbook and first aid kit back within its depths. "Umm, Inuyasha?"

"Aw hell, you don't even have any type of communicator in there do you?" he growled, assessing by her sheepish countenance and fidgety movement that she had bad news to deliver.

She shook her head sadly.

"Fuck woman!" He suddenly shot to his feet in indignation, his anger soaring to innumerable heights. "I swam all the way out in the damned ocean for nothing! What the hell do you keep in that thing anyway!" Ignoring her protests, Inuyasha snatched the bag from her arms and emptied its contents in front of them. Incredulity interchanged with the irritation on his face as textbooks on marketing strategies and economic profitability, a first aid kit, some packages of Ramen, and other miscellaneous items tumbled out of her bag onto the sand.

"What did you go and do that for?" Kagome snapped coming to her feet and seizing the empty bag from his loose grasp. "Does it look like I want to have my belongings filled with sand?"

Discounting her irrelevant gripes about her things getting dirty, the hanyou picked up one of her books, his visage darkening considerably, and not because of the sun. "Thanks to you and your stupid obsession with pleasing your damned folks, we are stuck out in the middle of nowhere with no means to survive or anything to contact anybody with!" he snapped at her as if it were all her fault.

"Well if I would have known that our pilots were going to go AWOL and our plane was going to collide with the ocean, I would have packed a survival kit and a handheld in my book bag!" she hissed stooping down to angrily shove the stuff he so smartly dumped out back into her bag. "Oh, and you know what else I could've added? I could've added a filter to purify the salt water so it would be drinkable! Or maybe I could've added a tent so we would have something to sleep under at night! Oh, and you know what would be really good? Bug repellent! Because no sane person in their right mind would dare to step out into the wilderness without some good ole bug repellent to ward off those mosquitoes and spiders that are bound to bite the crap out of us!" So caught up was she in her tirade that she failed to notice her oppressor kneel down and slowly assist her in gathering her belongings that were strewn about on the sand.

Inuyasha inwardly cringed, his anger having long since lessened to a simmer, as she continued to rant about things she could've done to make their current predicament more enjoyable, knowing full well that it was his fault for insinuating that she was solely responsible for their quandary. "Kagome," he sighed whilst helping her place the last item in the bag.

"-And of course we can't forget a miniature television because I know how much you love to watch those anime shows! And while I'm at it, how about a microwave since that's the only piece of equipment in the kitchen that doesn't require the use of the few brain cells that you do possess-"

"Kagome!" He shook her shoulders to snap her out of whatever state of stupor she had entered and cupped her chin in the palm of his hand, bringing it up to his face so that they were eye level. "What the hell's the matter with you?"

Snapping back to reality, Kagome blinked, her anger and frustration faltering slightly. "Nothing's the matter with me," she recovered awkwardly, shrugging off the hands that encompassed her shoulder and jaw but still held his gaze with fading anger. " I just don't take well to wild accusations." Her stomach chose this moment to announce its desire to eat with a loud rumble. A faint blush stained her cheeks in embarrassment. "And I'm kind of hungry."

"Keh, you're always hungry," Inuyasha quipped taking a seat on the beach. "How about we eat some of that instant Ramen and then go bobbing for our luggage in the ocean. Maybe we'll find more bags that might actually have something that may be of some use instead of this useless crap you have in here."

"If my crap is so useless you can go find food elsewhere," Kagome smirked, grabbing her yellow bag and pulling it out of his reach.

"Ok, ok, ok. Not all of it is entirely useless," the hanyou beseeched, semi frightened that she wouldn't share some of those wonderful instant noodles with him and he would be stuck having to eat raw rabbits and fish.

Half an hour later after a meal of instant noodles was consumed and digested, the couple commenced with their search of more belongings that might be wading in the ocean.

Inuyasha frowned as his keen vision scanned the surface of the seemingly endless body of sparkling blue water. Not even his eyesight could pick up on anymore floating bags that could have drifted to the top of the ocean after the crash. "I don't see anything. Most of the stuff is probably lying at the bottom of the ocean floor right about now along with the wreckage of the plane."

Kagome, not liking where this conversation was headed, put her bag down and joined her companion by the water's edge. "You're not thinking about diving all the way to the bottom, are you?"

"Of course I am." He grinned and reached for her hand. "And so are you."

"Wait a sec pal," she said slowly backing up away from him. "I like to swim in pools and all, but shark infested waters are in a different league altogether. I'll just wait until you come back. Good luck." She put on her best encouraging smile to show him that he had her support for his endeavors.

"Oh no you don't." Inuyasha pulled her back toward the shoreline, apparently unaffected by her attempts to sit this one out. "You're not just going to sit here like a lazy bum while I do all the damn work. Your ass had better get out here and help me look this crap. So come on and strip already."

"Sit boy!" Kagome, whose face had turned an impressive shade of red at the very suggestive demand, glared at him as he spewed colorful phrases from his facedown position at her feet. "Really Inuyasha. I see that this accident hasn't done anything to calm down your raging libido."

"Stupid bitch! Stop taking everything I say the wrong way!" He leapt to his feet heatedly as soon as the subduing spell wore off, his mouth decorated in an unappealing display of caked grit. "I meant for you to take off that hot ass shirt and pants so you wouldn't be weighed down by the heaviness of them when we go under."

"I knew that," she replied guiltily as he spit out sand that had gotten into his mouth. She had put on her bikini before they left the house. The first thing she had wanted to do when they arrived in Hawaii was to take a refreshing dip in the pool. "At least have the decency to turn around."

"Its not like you have anything I want to see anyway," he grumbled crossing his arms, but willingly complied with her wish, not in the mood to be sat yet another time for because of her self consciousness. He turned his back to her so that he faced the ocean and waited impatiently for her to hurry so they could begin the hunt for their belongings within the depths of the ocean and hopefully get off the damned island. Inuyasha tilted his head toward the sun in an attempt to perceive what time of day it was and judging by the sun's position, it had to be close to 3 pm. A pensive scowl marred his features. Where the hell was the rescue squad? It shouldn't take this long for someone to notice that their plane never landed.

"Ok, I'm done."

The hanyou turned back around edgily. "Finally. It took you long…". He stopped mid sentence as he beheld the figure of the exquisite creature before him. Looking as though she was some kind of swimsuit model that had just stepped off of the front cover of Vogue, Kagome, unaware that she had an audience, bent down to put her clothes into the bag, consequently providing a nice view of her backside. Inuyasha hungrily drank in the erotic form of his supposedly arch nemesis, his eyes roaming from her long shapely legs up to her body to the thick curtain of wavy hair that was languidly draped across her back and spilled over her shoulders to frame her face. He struggled to maintain his usual façade of nonchalance when she turned around to face him, but found it increasingly difficult to control the rampant hormones that begged him relentlessly to take her where they stood and deny nothing to her as his youkai side raked furiously within him to be released.

Kagome frowned in concern as she witnessed the almost feral battle for control flitting across the hanyou's evidently troubled face. "Inuyasha? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," he barked in a deep, husky tone that had Kagome jumping back in alarm. "Lets go." Inuyasha pivoted on his heel and made his way into the shallow depths of the salt water, thankful that he had finally gotten control of his primal urges. What the hell was wrong with him? His youkai side had never reacted so strongly before and he had never felt such an adamant craving to have sex in his life. '_I am so fucked right now_,' he inwardly groaned in despair while diving in, the coldness of water taking away some of the intense heat that had engulfed his body only moments ago.

"Great, leave me here to fend for myself while you go swimming with the fishes. Thanks a lot Inuyasha," Kagome grumbled plaintively while watching his tanned form disappear beneath the surface. Grudgingly, she followed his lead, bracing herself every time the biting waves crashed into her body, expecting piranhas to start gnawing at her legs anytime or sharks to appear and start devouring her whole.

"Stop it Kagome," she chastised herself for her foolish thoughts, "there are no sharks. There are no piranhas. There is just you and this big ass body of water. Now get a hold of yourself." Taking a calming breath to stabilize her erratic breathing, Kagome continued to wade further into the sea…that is until something grabbed her legs and dragged her underneath.

Screaming and in taking water at the same isn't the smartest thing to do. It was a shame Kagome didn't figure this out as she went down below. An unwelcome surge of salty water infiltrated her nostrils and mouth as she flailed desperately to swim back to the surface, her lungs burning from lack of oxygen. Suddenly, the hold on her legs was released, allowing Kagome to claw her way back to the top. No sooner had her head broke surface when Inuyasha head popped up in front of her, a mischievous twinkle in his amber eyes as he laughed at her while she sputtered and gasped for the air her lungs were in need of.

"Y-you jerk!" she screamed at him upon recovering from her near death experience. "I don't find scaring me half out of my wits funny asshole!"

His laughs waned to chuckles as he attempted to get a hold of himself and answer the angry, red faced women in his line of sight. Payback was a bitch. "I thought it was fairly comical," he sniggered.

"It just goes to show what a twisted, conniving, sadistic bastard you are. I could have died."

Inuyasha scoffed, a smirk playing on his lips. "Stop being so melodramatic bitch. I wouldn't have let you die. Then what form of entertainment would I have to amuse myself all alone by….wait. That didn't come out right."

"I'm going to entertain my foot up your ass if you do that again," Kagome said using his classic threatening method with a menacingly glare and splashed water in his face for emphasis of her point.

"As much as I'd like to see you try, I have more pressing matters to attend to and so do you. So stop playing around and help me find our stuff." He dived back under before she could splash more water in his face.

"Stupid hanyou," she muttered even though her anger had already faded away. It still annoyed her to no end the way she allowed him to get under her skin like that. Putting aside her irritation for her husband for the moment, Kagome waded out a little further, aware that sooner or later she would have to dive under and begin the search. She had always hated going underwater. Drawing a deep breath, she prepared herself to go under when she felt something brush against her thigh.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Inuyasha. I'm not falling for your ignorant games this time so you can just give it up." She waited expectantly for him to comeback with one of his smart aleck remarks and frowned when he failed to surface. "Inuyasha?"

The crashing of the waves was all that could be heard. After looking behind her and not seeing his familiar face pop up, Kagome shrugged. '_Must have been my imagination_.' She turned back around, and froze at the sight that greeted her. A rather large gray fin, which was almost certainly linked to a relatively large shark, approached her from the left. Kagome swallowed hard and remained still. If there was one thing she had learned out watching marathon after marathon of Jaws on TV, it was that if you started screaming and splashing and making a whole lot of noise, you would get eaten. Hoping and praying that she wasn't wrong, Kagome watched as the shark circled her, as if it was unsure of where her exact location was, yet certain that she was there.

Blue eyes widened in fear as its entire body finally emerged from the depths of the ocean, giving her a clear view of just how big the fish was. Long jagged white teeth projecting from the gaping jaws of the great white, pieces of half masticated flesh dangling from its mouth. The almost thirteen foot beast looked unseeingly with its beady, unfocused eyes as it tried to pinpoint her position. Its massive body generated powerful ripples as it enclosed dangerously near the spot where Kagome treaded water, making it exponentially difficult for her to remain still when moderately powerful waves collided into her.

She bit back a shriek when it bumped into her. '_Inuyasha, where are you when I need you?_' she thought as fear swelled and tightened in her chest.

* * *

Inuyasha's head jerked up from where he had been probing along the floor of the ocean, his instincts screaming at him that something was out of place. And his instincts were never wrong. '_Shit, Kagome._' Moving as smooth and fluid as any fish, Inuyasha swam past the reef and back towards where he had left her fuming only a few minutes ago. He felt the oxygen practically being forcefully compressed out of his lungs as he caught sight of the giant fish that circled perilously close to the spot where Kagome waded in silent fear.

Fury was immediately substituted for the panic that had first consumed his entire being. His mate was frightened for her life and he had let this happen. He should have been more careful and thoughtful than to let her come out into the open ocean without his constant protection. He would make sure that it would never occur again. If something were to happen to her, he'd never forgive himself.

Using a speed that only those of youkai heritage were able to exercise, Inuyasha swam swiftly over to where his mate was being endangered, an indescribable desire to kill, no maim, the enlarged fish promptly taking hold of him in such a rage that to some extent it actually alarmed him. With eyes aglow with red, burning, craving to mutilate and elongated fangs protruding from his mouth, the shark didn't know what hit it until it lay upside down on the ocean floor with a sizeable gash in its side.

Kagome hesitantly opened her eyes, confused as to why she wasn't dead yet. But the scenario that was playing before her wasn't quite what she had been picturing in her mind. Somehow, she had been expecting to be the one whose blood was shed, not the other way around. Red water surrounded her on all sides, the crimson color unfurling out as far as the eye could see. Kagome yelped when she felt deep vibrations reverberating against her skin from beneath the ocean depths and screamed for all she was worth when a mutilated shark head emerged and began bobbing up and down beside her.

"Kagome," an all too familiar voice said from behind her.

Relief flooded her mind, body, and soul as she turned around to face her rescuer. "Thank God you're al-" The fear she had pushed aside after seeing that she was no longer in danger rose back again. She felt her heart hammering agonizingly against her ribs. This wasn't Inuyasha. Her Inuyasha didn't have completely red eyes whose purple pupils could burn holes into her soul with their intensity, or was bathed in blood and reeked of death, or had jagged magenta stripes running across his cheekbones. Her Inuyasha didn't set her instantly on edge just from being in his presence. So who was this intruder that was imposing as such?

She stiffened when he treaded over to her, his passionate gaze never leaving hers as he closed the gap between them. She felt her breathing hitch as he ran a steady, blood stained claw down her cheek and to her neckline and shuddered when she felt the warm sweep of his breath when he inhaled her scent as he rubbed his nose affectionately against her neck. After making what looked like a quick assessment to verify that she was indeed ok, he turned around so that his back was facing her. "Get on," he growled in a completely throaty tone that made shivers of something race up her spine.

Without questioning his authority or even his sanity, Kagome obligingly clambered atop of his slick back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Inuyasha secured her place by hooking his arms under her legs then swam back to shore, effortlessly hauling her on his back while gliding across the ocean like some kind of water nymph. As soon as he strode upon the shallow area of the beach, Kagome hopped off of him like he had developed a case of leprosy and backed up slowly, unsure of how to deal with this new dilemma.

Inuyasha growled lowly as she backed away from him, his scarlet orbs fixated upon hers hungrily as he pursued after her in an unhurried manner. "Mine." He had no intention of letting her out of his sight after this. His mind was clouded with a dark possessiveness and a need to touch her to assure himself that she was alright and to lay claim to what was his. Nobody would ever harm or put a hand on her again. He would make sure of it.

"I-Inuyasha," Kagome stammered retreating from his daunting form. "The shark is dead. I'm alive and well. So snap out of it already."

The dark hanyou continued to stalk after her, giving no indication that he had heard a word she said.

Kagome opened her mouth, the subduing spell on the tip of her tongue and ready to be expelled. She gasped when she saw the teeth marks from the shark bleeding freely from the side of his torso, the rich, red fluid trickling down his body and creating a pool of the substance where he stood. Disregarding any thoughts of fear she may have had for him before in light of this new development, Kagome rushed over to her yellow bag and pulled out the first aid kit, unconscious to the fact that the hanyou had come up behind her until she turned around and collided into him.

"Inuyasha, you need to stop moving around so I can tend to your injuries," Kagome scolded him. "Now si-…have a seat so I can get a better look at those gashes." She caught herself just in time.

As soon as he was seated relatively comfortably on the sand, Kagome opened the kit and retrieved some bandages and ointment to help reduce the chance of him getting an infection and set right to work. She frowned at the nasty flesh abrasions. They didn't look deep enough that any vital organs could have gotten punctured, but they were still severe nonetheless and required immediate care, so she got right to work.

The red in his eyes gradually faded along with the purple streaks across his cheek, her soothing ministrations and calming scent helping his demon blood recede to back whence it came, leaving Inuyasha feeling disorientated and in a hell of a lot of pain. He hissed when she wrapped the last of the bandages around his waist.

Kagome looked up into his face in confusion. "That hurt? You hadn't said anything up until now."

"I wasn't conscious up until now," he muttered, wincing slightly at his throbbing side.

A smile spread across her face. "Inuyasha, you're back." She flung her arms around his neck carefully and hugged him, mindful of his injuries and grateful that her hanyou was back to normal.

"What do you mean back? I never left. And what the hell happened?" His brain was a befuddlement of haze and pain, inhibiting him from deciphering what exactly had just occurred only moments ago. The last thing he remembered was being at the floor of the ocean looking for wreckage of the plane.

Kagome retracted from the one sided embrace and stared at him incredulously. "You mean to tell me that you don't remember turning all youkai on me back there and saving me from the jaws of that great white?"

"My demon blood took over?" '_So that's why I can't remember. Ever time it happens I just black out._' He snapped to attention, much to the displeasure of his burning injury, his amber eyes right away doing the once over on her. "I didn't hurt you or do anything to you did I?" he asked, his voice laced with concern and worry. "Are you hurt?" He glanced down at the smeared blood on her hands and abdomen and immediately assumed the worst.

"Let me take a look. Lie back. Shit, look at all this blood." He crawled over and turned Kagome on her back to make sure that none of her wounds were fatal.

"Inuyasha, I'm fine. All of the blood is either yours or the shark's," Kagome reassured him as his claws deftly roamed the contours of her stomach and up to her face, his gentle touch sending involuntary tremors throughout her body in response.

Inuyasha bended over top of brought his nose down to her skin and subtly sniffed every inch of her to make sure that she wasn't lying and was relieved to find that only his blood and that of the fish lingered on her skin, faintly obscuring her scent much to his dismay. Breathing a sigh of relief, he brought his attention back to her face once more. "Are you sure that you're ok?"

"I believe I said yes the first time though I think its rather endearing of you are so worried about me," she said with mock cynicism though a faint blush colored her cheeks at the attention he was bestowing upon her in an uncharacteristic display of concern. It was only a matter of time before he reverted back to his old scowling and growling self.

He smirked and continued to hover above her, enjoying the feel of her lithe form beneath him and unwilling to give it up so soon. "Keh woman. Of course I worry about you." He nipped her earlobe playfully. "Who else will fix my meals and do my laundry while we're here?"

"You wish, you lazy bum. Now get off me so I can wash this crap off of me." She tried fruitlessly to push him away but he refused to budge, an amused glint dancing within his amber depths.

"And if I decline," he murmured softly into her ear, shifting his body so that his legs enveloped her on either side, further trapping her in a cocoon of warmth and security. Feeling confident when she made no attempt to protest against their current stance, Inuyasha nuzzled the crook of her neck, ignoring the smell of shark blood and concentrated on her alluring scent of jasmine. She smelled so delicious.

"I-I'll…" she trailed off, partly unsure of what she would exactly do if he did refuse and partially distracted by the fingertips that brushed along the naked flesh of her abdomen, making the butterflies in her stomach go all aflutter. He planted tiny kisses down her jaw line headed toward her mouth, each kiss adding to the fire that had been ignited within her body.

'_We can't do this_,' Kagome thought frantically, though her body begged to differ as her body unthinkingly arched against his as if they were magnetically charged. He was so warm, so muscular, so handsome, and his kisses and his hands were driving her to the brink of insanity. She wanted him like no other and yet, something was holding her back. They would never be able to move on and take their relationship to the next level until the things done in the past were rectified.

Inuyasha's mouth hovered dangerously close to hers, so close in fact that he could practically feel the softness and warmth of them against his own. But he stopped when he noticed her abrupt stiffness and mentally cursed himself for losing control. He wanted, no needed this as much as she did and knew what was holding her back, what was holding them back. Swearing and using every bit of willpower he could muster, the hanyou virtually tore himself from her body and sat up and winced at the sharp jolts of pain in his abdomen. "I'm going to go wash off," he said in a gruff voice, futilely attempting to hide the underlying bitterness and anger at that the fact they were back to square one before coming to his feet and striding to the water with teeth clenched and fists balled.

Kagome sat up and watched him leave ruefully, her shoulders sagging in defeat. They really needed to talk.

End.

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AN: Wow. This is like 19 pages. I should've shortened it but hey, I'm being rather spontaneous here. Hopefully this will make up for the late update. -

I know I portrayed Kouga as a bit harsh, but what's a guy to do when his love of four years out of blue dumps him and he finds out that it was because her best friend wants him for himself? He's labeled Ayame as crazy and obsessive since she was willing to do whatever it took to get him. Such drama.

Over the next couple of chapter there will be a series of flashbacks that will let you see what event led up to this seemingly perfect duo to hate each others guts with a passion. Well folks, until next time. Review and tell me what you think.


	13. The Amends pt1

**Disclaimer**: All I own is the plot. -

AN: And here I am with the next installment. See, it didn't take me a month with this chapter! ::licks out tongue haughtily:: I love having no school. And what I love even more is people commenting on my fic. They inspire me to write faster, which is why this is out so soon. I hope you like. This is dedicated to all my loyal fans out there who have stuck with this baby and reviewed. I love you guys!

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The Amends pt.1

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Kagome took a subtle sip of the fruit punch from the plastic cup in her hand, her eyes straying across the dance floor where couples gyrated to the upbeat tempo of the band that play on a stage not too far from her current position. Tables clad in red satin and adorned with candlelit centerpieces and an assortment of roses were set up alongside the dance floor. Those persons whose forte wasn't moving nimbly to the rhythm of the music mingled and circulated around the lavishly decorated ballroom, gossiping and sharing useless information that didn't concern her in the least bit.

She had yet to understand what dressing up for an evening of elegance and coming to a gathering where all you did was talk about the stock market and how one's businesses were coming along had anything to do with giving to charity. This was supposed to be a charity function, so why were people flouncing how rich they were by dolling up and being decked out in diamonds, Armani suits, and high-priced vehicles when they were hypothetically dedicating this night to those who were less fortunate?

Why her parents insisted on bringing her to these meaningless soirées was beyond her. But she had long since stopped asking to her purpose for attending, knowing full well that she would only receive lectures about duties and responsibilities in response. She was fourteen for crying out loud. You'd think that after reaching a certain age one would be able to get a little liberation or input in whether or not she wanted to be present at these things. At least they let Sango come along for the ride. She was not going to be bored to death alone.

Kagome frowned upon seeing that her friend had yet to return from the lady's room. What was taking her so long anyway? She took another swig of the fruity concoction and once more stared monotonously amongst the crowd.

"You look about as bored as I feel," a vaguely familiar voice suddenly whispered in her ear.

The muscle in Kagome's jaw twitched as she matched voice to face in her head. It was a little older, a little deeper, but still possessed the same undertones of arrogance and self importance that he had yet to rid himself of even after all these years of knowing him. "May I be so bold as to ask why you are here?" she inquired without turning to face him.

He snorted in reply. "Do you even need to ask?" She didn't need to ask because for the past seven years they both had been made to come to the same charity event that was held every year. And every year she had to put up with his childish pranks and belittling comments about herself and her family. There hadn't been one time she could vividly recall when that they hadn't argued or fought. She immediately snapped out of her mental daze when she felt his eyes roaming her newly bloomed assets, instantly becoming self conscious.

Kagome, jumping past annoyance and into anger, whirled around to face him but faltered at his appearance. Smugness glittered mischievously in his sun kissed eyes, detracting very little from the exquisiteness of them . Writing off the way her heart skipped a beat and trying in vain to ignore just exactly how much he had grown and filled out in all the right places over the past year, she focused her eyes on his face instead of assessing his overall gorgeousness.

He smirked when he saw her struggling to maintain composure upon witnessing his newly developed features. "Like what you see?"

A flush spread across her cheeks much to his amusement. "Don't kid yourself. I've seen better." She crossed her arms and looked away to hide her mortification and the fact that she may have developed a small crush on him.

The silver haired hanyou leaned over toward her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "You know, you don't look half bad yourself," he murmured softly into her ear.

An unwanted tremor was sent down her spine at his gentle declaration. Kagome tried to steel herself against the emotions that threatened to give her away. "What do you want, Inuyasha? Are you hoping to catch me off guard and put another oyster down my dress? Or perhaps more itching powder? Or maybe you want to throw more jello in my face?"

He chuckled in amusement. "They had crossed my mind, but I am older now and have grown out of those petty habits that I used to find entertaining in the past."

"So now you've taken up womanizing as a hobby?" she questioned arching a brow.

"Its not a hobby. More like a profession." A devilish gleam alighted his golden eyes as a wicked smile curved on his lips.

Kagome rolled her eyes and was about to comment on the lack of tact in his mannerism when she saw Sango approach her, a look of plain disgust and embarrassment written all over her features. "Sango, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly as the girl came up to her.

"Some perv near the bathroom asked me to bear his child and then have the nerve to feel me up!" she hissed. "I've never been so embarrassed in my life. The bastard was lucky I had on this dress or I would've kicked a new hole into his ass."

"I see you've met my friend Miroku," Inuyasha mused aloud. "Sorry about that. For a monk in training he has no tact when it comes to females."

"I could say the same for you," Kagome muttered under her breath before turning her attention back to Sango. "Are you ok?

Her brown eyes narrowed as her sight fell upon the pervert headed right toward them. She suddenly wished she had hit him hard enough to render him unconscious. "I'm leaving. I love you Kagome, really I do, but a girl can only take so much humiliation in one night. I'll see you later." Hitching up her dress, she stalked past the quizzical couple and to the exit in a huff.

Kagome had no time to run after her friend to obtain further knowledge as to why she was so stressed out over a guy, because no sooner had her friend left when a young man stepped into her line of sight. He wasn't half bad looking, but he wasn't in the same league as the hanyou with his thick frame glasses, scrawny physique, and sporting a red handprint on the side of his face.

"I see your 'condition' has earned you another physical reprimand ?" Inuyasha smirked.

"What can I say? The ladies love my adorability and the silkiness of my skin," Miroku shrugged with an award winning smile as he rubbed his smarting cheek. His eyes fell upon the raven haired beauty in front of Inuyasha, violet eyes instantly warming with naughtiness and appreciation.

Catching sight the perverted gleam in his friend's eyes, Inuyasha blocked her from view before the monk in training could initiate proper introductions. "Don't even think about," he growled in a low and slightly possessive tone. He didn't want the monk taking a shot at her before he had a chance to. Maybe after she forgave him for all of the childish stunts and pranks he pulled on her when they were younger, they could hook up. She wasn't half bad looking and still retained that fiery attitude that had first captured his attention.

"Think about what?" Miroku asked feigning naiveté and tried to peek over his shoulder to get a closer look at the beautiful maiden before him. "Is she yours?"

Inuyasha blushed in response. "No stupid! She's not my type," he lied, hoping that she couldn't hear their conversation for what he was about to say.

Kagome discreetly leaned over a bit to hear their conversation. "Besides, you don't want that bitch," the hanyou whispered with a snide tint to his words for emphasis, "the wench ain't that pretty, is stubborn as a pig, boring, and is kind of on the slow side if you know what I mean."

Hurt registered on her face before fury did. She thought he had grown more mature by now and had developed feelings for her by the way he had been staring at her earlier. 'Once an ass, always an ass,' she thought angrily. "Oh so now I'm an ugly, stubborn, dull, and stupid wench?" she snapped. "You know, for a second there, I 'd actually thought you'd grown up. I guess for some, wisdom doesn't come with age or brain cells in your case."

Inuyasha swore. "Kagome, I didn't mean it like that!" He reached for her hand.

Recoiling from touch, she glared at him while backing away slowly. "Just leave me alone Inuyasha. I thought you had changed and evidently I was wrong. You are still the same asshole you were then. Good-bye." Kagome spun around irritably and stalked off.

"Kagome, wait!" Inuyasha ran after her, but she had already been swallowed up by the mass of conversing contributors to the charity fund.

* * *

Six days. Six days since the last time she had had a decent meal. Six days since the last time she had had hot running water pummel her body through a showerhead. Six days of wearing nothing but the clothes on her back. Six days since she had utilized a toilet. Six days since she had last seen her family and friends. Six days since the plane had crashed and left her stranded on a desert island with her unwanted husband. And it didn't help that they weren't exactly on speaking terms since the shark attack. Sure he provided protection over her at night as she slept at the base of a tree while he maintained lookout in the branches above and always shared whatever game he caught whenever he hunted after the Ramen had run out, but that was the extent of his company and companionship.

Kagome sneezed and rubbed her irritated nose. She was sick of this damned place. Every day that passed her hope for being rescued waned, leaving both her and Inuyasha aggravated and edgy, in which is why during the day, he would leave to go off doing whatever his heart desired while Kagome stayed along the beach with a pile of wood ready to be ignited if a plane happened to cross the skies. But neither ever saw a plane, not even a ship in the distance. It was like the world had banished them from existence and had labeled them as outcasts. And it was slowly driving Kagome to insanity.

Growling in a manner similar to that of the hanyou, she got down on all fours and leaned into the lagoon where wide ripples in the water were created by the gushing waterfall only ten feet from her. After splashing her face and scrubbing away the grime that may have accumulated overnight, then stared at her reflection in water and sighed. What she needed was a good shampoo and conditioner and a facial.

"Oi bitch." Inuyasha watched in mild amusement as she squeaked in surprise before tumbling into lagoon.

Her head emerged from the surface seconds later, sputtering water and gasping for air. "Y-you jerk! Next time warn me when you want scare the living daylights out of me!"

"Maybe you should just pay more attention next time," he smirked leaping down from the tree and walking over to the water where she waded glaring at him. In one swift movement, he plucked her from the lagoon and placed her on dry land.

No sooner had her feet touched the grassy patch of earth when she quickly snatched her arm from his grasp angrily and would have fallen back in had he not seized her hand again to prevent the plunge. "Would you get off of me?" she snapped irately taking back her appendage.

"Well next time I'll let your dumb ass drown," he retorted, amber eyes narrowed in annoyance. "What the hell's the matter with you?"

"Nothing's the matter with me," she ground out through gritted teeth while wringing water from her sopping wet hair. "I'm perfectly fine…other than the fact that we've been stranded here for six days and have absolutely no chance of returning back to civilized society. Oh, and then there's the minuscule fact that I'm stuck on a deserted island with a husband I had no desire to wed in the first place who completely hates my guts and wishes that I was some French bimbo he could screw daily." Done wringing out her hair she started removing the wet layers of clothing that clung to her dripping body. "And I'm tired of eating wild animals and berries and taking baths in this freezing lagoon." She heatedly threw her shirt on the ground. "And I'm sick of sleeping at the base of a tree and waking up with creepy crawlers slithering across my skin." She flung her socks. "And I'm fed up with not knowing if someone was trying to intentionally kill to us with the plane crash and thinking about potential suspects who may have resentment against us."

Kagome squirmed out of her pants so that she was only clad in her bright blue bikini and threw them alongside her shirt and turned to glare at the hanyou, who had been silently watching her vent, his unreadable expression revealing nothing of what he may be feeling, which further amplified her frustration. "How can you stand there and act so calm!" she accused stepping to him and shoving her finger aggressively into his chest. "But naturally the great inu hanyou Inuyasha wouldn't be troubled by this occurrence. He fears nothing." Kagome threw her head back and cackled haughtily, like some kind of deranged lunatic that had just escaped from a mental institution.

She stopped laughing abruptly, promptly sobering up. "If only I could be as strong as you. If only I could act as though nothing is wrong, like being here doesn't effect me in the least." Her voice began to crack as moisture brimmed sapphire eyes. "Someone did plan on killing us, I know it. But I don't know if my family is ok or if the murderer went after them or our friends. And its killing me inside because they might be dead or dying and there's nothing I can do about it."

Inuyasha caught her slumped form in his arms before she crashed to the ground and slowly lowered them gently onto the grass, pulling her lithe form into his lap so that her head rested on his shoulder.

"But do you know what really pisses me off?" she murmured quietly into his neck as the tears trickled down her cheek. "I'm tired of us fighting like cats and dogs and you avoiding me like I've got some terminal contagious flesh eating virus and us evading what happened four years ago. Everything would be so much simpler…"

Inuyasha felt the heartstrings in his chest tugging sharply at her heartfelt words, the scent of her salty tears stirring a certain unnamable emotion that made him reflexively tighten his hold on her. He had always hated to see her cry and had always felt helpless when there was nothing he could do about it. But there was one subtle difference this time around. This time, he knew why she was hurting. He knew that part of the reason was the fault of his own stupidity and ignorance. And this time, he was going to rectify his mistakes.

"Kagome," he began softly sitting her up in his lap and with one clawed hand brought her tear streaked face to meet his. "You may believe that I am the essence of strength, but I'm not. I'm just as frustrated and angry and hurt as you are, the difference is that I hide it all beneath a mask instead of on my sleeve like you." With the calloused pads of his thumbs, Inuyasha tenderly wiped away her tears. "Now you are going to suck it up and stop acting like a big baby. Our family and friends are well protected and perfectly safe from harm so there is nothing you have to worry about. They are wholly capable of defending themselves."

She gave him a weak smile before wrapping her arms around his torso in a hug, which he awkwardly accepted. "Thanks Inuyasha and sorry for my little lapse of insanity."

"Keh," he struggled to fight down the arising heat to his cheeks, "nothing I couldn't handle. Now get up wench, I want to show you something."

Kagome released him from the embrace to roll her eyes up at him. "Back to wench I see."

He smirked and said nothing and fluidly returned to his feet with Kagome by his side. Inuyasha crouched down. "Get on."

"Hold on and let me get my stuff." She turned and bent down to retrieve her belongings when a fit of lung wrenching coughs began to rack her body, preventing her from successfully gathering the various articles of clothing.

In a flash, Inuyasha was by her side. He slipped one hand around her waist and the other on her wrist to steady her jerky movements as she wheezed and gasped for air. A frown marred his face as he listened to her erratic breaths and took notice of the difficulty she was having in inhaling oxygen. Why hadn't he detected this before? She was coming down with a cold and he hadn't even became aware of it until now.

Mentally berating himself for his idiocy, Inuyasha waited patiently until her fit of coughing passed and her breathing evened out. "Are you ok?"

Kagome waved him off as she caught her breath and scooped up her wet things. "I'm fine. Just a little cough. Its nothing."

"The hell it is." He shrugged off his shirt and draped it over her shoulders. Ignoring her objections, the hanyou swept her off her feet into his arms bridal style and started for the forest.

"Put me down! I can wa-," she broke off when another coughing attack assaulted her lungs, effectively cutting off her words.

"You're coming down with a cold though I don't know the hell why since its eighty degrees out here. Therefore I will be not letting you out of my eyesight until you're better. So just shut up, accept it, and stay still bitch." He took off running once her coughing died down, a look of determination settled on his features as he whizzed past the trees in a vivid blur of greens, whites, and browns.

Kagome hid a small smile behind her hands at his blatant concern and contented herself with burrowing herself into his warm chest. No matter how foul his mouth or how irascible his temper got, he had and always would remain her pillar of support. Her hanyou savoir.

Kagome stormed out of the building in a huff. 'How dare that rude, inconsiderate bastard call me names. He hasn't changed a bit. I am so stupid for thinking he would have grown up by now. He's just the child he was when I first met him. He's merely traded his tricks for charm. ' Thoroughly disgusted with herself for becoming another victim to his entrancing charm, Kagome, with her heated contemplation and chaotic emotions, thoughtlessly pursued an unfamiliar route that with each step put her farther and farther away from the ball.

Kagome stopped in her tracks, suddenly realizing that she had absolutely no idea where she was. It was dark, she was in a strange city, and she had no money. Definitely not good. Mentally chastising herself for her lack of common sense, Kagome turned around, intent on retracing her footsteps back to the building she had just departed from when she saw them.

There were four of them, each appearing as though they had just stepped off the screen of some clichéd black and white movie with their leather jackets and slicked back hair. The tattoos and facial piercings further exemplified the passé impression. Elongated fangs peeked out from their mouth as they sneered derisively at her. But unlike the corny films she had watched as a child growing up, she was the victim here and there was no hero that would come along and rescue her from the impending doom that these formidable youkai promised because this was reality, not some fictional fantasy where everybody lives happily ever after.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the wolf youkai in the front of the group approached her first, his hands fisted in the side pockets of his worn jacket, the florescent light from the lamp post only a foot away from her clearly exposing just how menacing those fangs looked in the light. "Why don't you look pretty. Did you get all dolled up just for me?"

"Not on your life," Kagome snapped disdainfully at the pack of advancing wolves as she kept backing up.

"Ah, you wound me, that you do. And here I thought he could be friends." He grinned spitefully at her before signaling for the others to surround her.

The remaining wolf youkai encircled her with such a speed that it made her momentarily dizzy. And before she knew it, each had latched on to her, one from the left, one from the right, and one holding her from behind. "Let me go you fiends!" she screamed, futilely trying to squirm her way out of their vice grip hold, and resorted to biting, kicking, and head butting to get her point across.

The one of the left yelped when she attached her blunt teeth to his forefinger. "Oww! Get off you little bitch!" He raised his free hand to strike her when the lead youkai grabbed his appendage and twisted it to a sickening position that further incited a round of screams and protests.

"We don't hit ladies, Ginta," the leader male growled, promises of pain glittering in his black orbs.

"But she bit me, Tai" Ginta whimpered bowing his head submissively as much as his trapped hand would allow him.

A smirk alighted his dark orbs. "Well, then. We'll just have to teach her a lesson she will never forget." Ginta breathed a sigh of relief as his hand was released. "As for you, doll face," the leader turned his attention back to the writhing female in front of him. "I have something special for you."

Kagome froze when she felt his clawed hand trace the contours of face and slowly trail down to her collarbone. "Why are you doing this?"

Tai leaned in to whisper softly into her ear, "Why not?"

"Because dip shit, women are supposed to treated with respect, love, and care, not like some fucking whore." Sheer elation and hope lifted Kagome's spirit when Inuyasha stepped into the light from the shadows, a look of utter disgust and restrained fury twisting his features although his voice betrayed none. "And scum such as yourself should be eradicated from the face of this planet."

Tai moved away from her to face the enemy, the playful gleam in his eyes being replaced by coldness and spite. "That's funny, I was thinking the exact same thing about insignificant half breeds."

"Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental," Inuyasha spat and threw his tux jacket onto the ground. "I suggest you step away from Kagome, lest you want my fist down your fucking throat."

"The girl is mine, half breed. Go find some lamppost to hump." The wolf turned his interest back to Kagome. "I'm busy here."

"Face me, ass wipe, unless you're too ball-less to accept my challenge," Inuyasha barked, flames of wrath surging through his veins at the fear in her usual high spirited orbs. Anger twisted and coiled and thrashed relentlessly inside of his gut, his youkai instincts urging and begging and pleading to be released so that it may relish in the feel of tearing the skin from the wolves' bodies. But he kept his anger in check, for fear that he may accidentally hurt Kagome and so that he didn't get too out of control. What would she think of him if she saw him rip them piece by piece in front of her?

Tai gave a heavy hearted sigh. "I'm getting tired of his incessant yapping. Boys, go give him a taste of full blooded youkai power."

No sooner had the three wolves released their grasp on Kagome when the leader male clamped his arms around her body from behind her, effectively pinning her to him. "Now watch sweetie," he murmured rubbing his cheek against hers affectionately, "as my boys tear your puppy dog limb from limb. You should know better than to hang around worthless hanyou filth. They are weak bastards and do not fully meet up the strength and might of full blooded youkai."

Kagome grinned at Inuyasha, unfazed by his words. "I think you should rethink your position."

The wolf cursed and pushed her aside as he saw how wrong he had been about the inu hanyou, who was currently standing cockily on top of a motionless pile of bloodied wolves that lay unconscious under his feet.

"You were saying?" Inuyasha smirked.

A loud growl escaped the esophagus of the pack leader, his eyes flashing red occasionally. "You presumptuous piece of shit! I'll make sure to rip that smirk off of your face!" Tai launched himself at the hanyou, not giving a second thought to Kagome.

"Not if I do it first," Inuyasha snorted easily dodging the wolf's ill aimed punch by shifting to the right, then quickly kicked his legs from under him, successfully knocking Tai to the ground. Before he could recover from the fall, Inuyasha pounced onto his back and grabbed a fistful of his black hair. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slit your throat right now," the hanyou snarled, his claws embedding themselves into his neck. With one flick of the wrist, he could effortlessly cut open the wolf's jugular vein and just let him slowly bleed to death.

"Fuck you," Tai hissed, furious with himself for becoming at the mercy of a lowly hanyou.

"Inuyasha no!" Kagome hitched up her dress and ran over to where he held the wolf captive under his claws. "If you kill him, you'll sink to a level lower than him." As soon as she reached him, Kagome attached herself the arm that detained a fistful of hair. "Just let him go Inuyasha, and then we can go back to the ball." She gazed pleadingly into his amber orbs.

Inuyasha hesitated, then reluctantly gave in. There was no way he could resist her entreating eyes and beseeching voice. "Fine," he grumbled, but rather than release the wolf unharmed, Inuyasha slammed his face into the ground for good measure and so that he wouldn't inflict any type of injury to Kagome or himself.

"Inuyasha," she scolded lightly as he got off the now cataleptic wolf. "I don't think you had to-" She felt her cheeks warming as he began to run his fingers down her face and quickly scanned over the rest of her body to see if she were hurt. "Inuyasha, I'm fine."

He frowned. "Are you sure?" Amber eyes alighted with righteous fury. "Did they touch you inappropriately? Because if they did I swear I'll break all their fucking jaws and rip each of their fucking fingers off and-" His rant was tragically cut short when he felt her lips press timidly against his own. Her sweet, petal soft lips cleared his mind of everything except her, and how intoxicating the scent that enveloped her. His lips on hers, his fingers slowly beginning to delve into her beautiful raven tresses, her arms clutching her to him. It was more than perfect; it was surreal.

And when they finally pulled apart, their cheeks flushed and eyes radiating, Kagome, smiling shyly, wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you, for saving me."

* * *

"Dammit! Its been six fucking days and you still can't find them?" Inutaisho bellowed irately slamming his fist on his desk for emphasis and making a considerable crack appear in the polished oak wood. "Is this police agency run by idiots!?"

The detective in the overcoat maintained his calm façade and took the inuyoukai's anger with a composed disposition, an acute contrast to his deputy, who was visibly shaking with fear at the feral inuyoukai only feet in front of him. "Takeda-san, we are doing everything in our power to locate the whereabouts of your son and daughter-in-law-"

"Well you aren't doing enough!" he growled, ready to lift the detective off of his feet and pin him to a wall to get the answers he wanted, and would have had not his wife been holding him back.

"How long do you suppose it will take for you all to find some type of verification or proof that they are still living," Ryo asked quietly, Hitomi clutching his arm beside him. The dark rings that hung under their eyes and the haggardness of their appearance illustrated just how much sleep they had gotten over the past couple of days.

"Its hard to say at this point, but we do have a lead-"

"And just how substantial is this lead, Myouga-san?" Megumi cut him off, wringing her hands worriedly as she waited for an answer.

"If you would allow me to continue without cutting me off then perhaps I would be able to inform you of recent developments," Myouga offered coolly.

"If you would get to the point and tell us just the hell what is going on instead of standing here taking up space and wasting breath, maybe we could." Inutaisho was quickly silenced by a slap from his mate and the glares of the other occupants of the office.

"I'm sorry, please continue," Hitomi said earnestly, her hand tightening around her husband's.

Myouga nodded. "Up until this point in the investigation, we have examined the situation from every angle that has involved the airline services here in Tokyo and those in the surrounding cities. But what we have neglected to check up on is those private planes and jets that could have been taken."

"Wait, we arranged for them to fly via Tokyo Airlines, not private plane," Ryo commented in confusion.

"I know that sir, but what if this was some kind of convoluted scheme? What if someone was purposely hired to take your son and daughter to an air strip after making up some phony story about you wanting them to have some alone time or something of that nature? My point is that they could be held captive somewhere or they could already be dead," he finished gravely.

"So, this is just some elaborate hunch that you've come with due to lack of real evidence?" Inutaisho drawled, his expression revealing that he wasn't convinced.

"This isn't some random hunch," the short detective huffed indignantly. "There is a real possibility that you're kids could have been set up and the conspirator may still be at large."

"But who would want to kill Inuyasha and Kagome? What motive would they against setting up this so called 'elaborate scheme'? And if they have been kidnapped, why haven't their captors contacted us for ransom?" Megumi questioned frantically.

"I don't know all of the specifics. We're working on it as of now and the investigation would move along faster if you would allow me to get back to my job instead of managing all of your insecurities." He and his deputy got up to leave. "We'll be taking our leave now."

Ryo stood and gave Myouga a handshake. "Thank you for all of your work. I have absolute faith in your abilities and those of your co-workers to find our children."

Myouga and apprentice bowed before exiting through the doubled doors.

"That was a waste of time," Inutaisho grumbled folding his arms across his expansive chest.

Megumi touched her mate's arm. "We're going to have to have confidence and reliance on the police force. Even our private detectives couldn't trace their whereabouts."

"This is all our fault," Hitomi murmured dismally sinking further into her chair. "If we hadn't pressured them into filling our shoes, we wouldn't be in this position in the first place." She didn't even want to think about how this was going to influence the company and the employees.

"They are alive," Inutaisho spoke up, his golden eyes hardened with fidelity. "My son is no pushover, and my daughter-in-law has the will of steel. They both are survivors and can handle anything that come their way, that is if they work together. And I guess for the time being I'll have to have trust in that 3-ring of a circus of a police department, even though they all full of shit."

"Inutaisho!" Megumi snapped.

"Sorry," he mumbled under his breath.

* * *

"Y-you built this?" Kagome stared in awe at the cavern mouth as Inuyasha set her down carefully on to the grass.

"Yep," he said self-righteously, proud of his feat. "Took me a couple of days to dig it out. That's why I was always gone during the day. I know you were tired and uncomfortable sleeping on under a tree all night and since its going to be a storm today, we'll be drier in here than out in the open or in the forest. Come on." He tugged on her sleeve and led her into their humble abode.

The cave had been engraved into the base of a cliff that overlooked the entire beachside and was out in the open enough so that if a plane or ship did happen to fly by, it wouldn't take long for them to make a fire since it wouldn't take long to get to the beach. It was roughly around six feet in length and four feet in width. He had put bushes and an assortment of branches in front of the face of the cave to keep out animals and protect the interior from the oncoming storm. The inside was spacious enough for three people to lie contentedly in all directions. A bed of flattened moss and palm tree leaves covered the cave floor to provide comfort to the occupants as well as so they wouldn't have to sleep in the dirt. In the center was a cluster of sticks and dry grass encircled by rocks on all sides for the fire and small exhaust tunnel in the ceiling leading to the outside so that the smoke wouldn't cloud the inside.

Kagome stared up at the trodden walls and ceiling of the cave, and was moderately surprised. "Inuyasha, you did all of this?" she asked in amazement and carefully touching the walls as if trying to convince herself that they were truly there.

"Of course I did woman," he snorted lightly plopping down on the floor with arms crossed. "You don't believe me?"

"This is kind of unbelievable," Kagome said taking a seat next to him. "But you did a really good job. Thank you Inuyasha." She gave him a heart warming smile.

"Keh. Whatever," he, as usual when embarrassed and not knowing how to respond, looked away, efficiently hiding his blush.

Grinning at his modesty, Kagome shifted her gaze to the overcast sky beyond the foliage. The sky was darkening rapidly. The friendly cumulus clouds that had arched over the horizon like giant brows only minutes ago, had now disappeared beneath the gloomy sheet of gray that had overtaken the sky. The palm trees down the beach began to rock back and forth as the wind picked up.

Her grin wilted until it faded away completely, leaving a grim expression its wake. The weather was probably taking a turn for the worse as a reflection of their conversation to come. They always say better late than never. "Inuyasha?"

"What?" he asked, even though he knew what was to be expected.

"Why do you hate me?"

* * *

End.

**AN**: I've decided to leave here basically because this chapter mainly served as an introduction for what is to come. The answers to all the questions you've always had about these two will finally be acknowledged. And since I'm already on a roll, due largely to the fact that I've got a half a tub of chocolate icing sitting in front of me and because I finally narrowed down choice scenarios, the next chapter should be up either by Saturday or Sunday. So stay tuned….if you dare….muhaaaaaaa!!!!! ::squeals:: I love sugar rushes. You go by now and review!!! ::crams more chocolate icing in mouth greedily::


	14. The Amends pt 2

**Disclaimer**: I don't, but wish I could.

AN: And you guys thought I wouldn't I update when I said I would. Shame on you. Ever since I've gotten out of high school, I think I've been pretty consistent with the whole updating thing. Anyway, first and foremost, I must clarify what actually took place in the last chapter since some people were confused with the whole flashback thing. Ok, whenever I _italicize_ something, it means it's a flashback of their past. Otherwise everything is taken place in the present. The flashback in the last chapter took place at a charity event and was the start of when Inuyasha and Kagome first started having feelings for each other. I hope that clarifies things for you. I guess I should've mentioned that beforehand. ::smiles sheepishly::

: And you guys thought I wouldn't I update when I said I would. Shame on you. Ever since I've gotten out of high school, I think I've been pretty consistent with the whole updating thing. Anyway, first and foremost, I must clarify what actually took place in the last chapter since some people were confused with the whole flashback thing. Ok, whenever I something, it means it's a flashback of their past. Otherwise everything is taken place in the present. The flashback in the last chapter took place at a charity event and was the start of when Inuyasha and Kagome first started having feelings for each other. I hope that clarifies things for you. I guess I should've mentioned that beforehand. ::smiles sheepishly:: 

Second order of business……THANK YOU GUYS!!!! I love you all for your inspiring comments and feedback. That totally motivated me to update on time seeing as though you love this fic so much. Hopefully this chappie will answer all of your questions. You guys are the best! ::throws flower and chocolate to audience and begins to cry:: I feel so special. I read each and every one of your reviews and they all hold a special place in my heart. Let me stop. I'm getting mushy. ::wipes away tear::

Oh and for those who are curious about how many more chapters there are until this fic is over and done with…I haven't decided yet. Probably around 22 or 23, but don't quote me on that. There are three major events that will take place just for your information, so be prepared to be shocked out of your pants. - Anyway, on to the good stuff. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The Amends pt. 2

* * *

Tremors of excitement raced through her nervous system as his fingers nimbly caressed the exposed skin of her lower back and lightly traced the curve of her spine. She instinctively pressed herself further into his tight hold so that his long muscular length covered her small frame and relished in the feel of his hard torso against her body. Being in his arms had never felt so…right.

"You're beautiful," he whispered nuzzling the skin just below her earlobe, his fangs nipping playfully at the sweet, nakedness of her exposed flesh as he held her firmly to him.

Kagome giggled, partly due to his teasing ministrations, and partly because of his uncharacteristic display of affection in public. "You're beautiful too, my Inuyasha."

A deep growl rumbled deeply in his chest as he abandoned her neck, and instead headed toward her lips, those full, pouty lips that he found absolutely tantalizing and yearned to devour with every inch of his being whenever he was with her. It didn't take long for him to find what he was craving for as he rubbed his lips affectionately against hers before sliding his tongue through her partially parted lips and thoroughly swept her moist cavern, loving the sweet, honey like taste of her mouth he desired with a passion.

"Hello you two? Contrary to what you all think, you are still in the midst of company," Sango announced wryly as they parted to take a breath. "Remind me never to come here with you two again if all you're going to be doing is sticking your tongues down each others throats. And in a public place no less. There are little children here. And may I remind you that we are here to eat ice cream and not each other's faces?"

With her face flushed a faint shade of pink from her previous exertion, Kagome offered her friend a sheepish smile and grudgingly extricated herself from her boyfriend's arms and lap so she could move to her own seat, much to his displeasure.

"Since you're not comfortable with public displays of affection, maybe you should get yourself a boyfriend so you can find out that couples don't give a rat's ass what other people think when they are making out," Inuyasha smirked pulling Kagome back onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her waist so that his hands rested on her flat stomach. "I'm sure Miroku would enjoy experiencing it with you since he has yet to find a girl."

At the mention of his name, the monk in training told the young women at the table beside them to hold on and swiveled around in his seat. "Did someone say my name?" he asked readjusting his glasses.

The vein just above Sango's right eyebrow began to twitch. "Tell me again why I agreed to come with you here in the first place Kagome?"

But Kagome was too busy giggling at something Inuyasha whispered in her ear and massaging his puppy ears to notice what her friend said.

"Sango-sama," Miroku said turning his attention to the girl beside him, an innocent smile plastered on his face. "Please just forgive me for my lecherous deeds that were committed at the charity ball. I promise that I won't try to anything on you like that again, unless you desire me to do so." He put on his best puppy dog look when she glared at him unconvinced. "I know how the please a woman."

"Than please leave me alone. I'm not into the consistently horny type." She stood up toe leave. "Kag, I'm going home. I thought it would be just the two of us, not the peanut gallery."

"Oi, I resent that," Inuyasha huffed indignantly.

"Wait Sango," Kagome slipped out of the hanyou's arms and came to her feet. "I'll behave. At least wait until the ice cream comes."

Sango shook her head sadly. "That's ok, I'm not hungry anymore. I guess I'll see you all later. I'm going to be at Ayame's if you need me."

Miroku stood abruptly. "Wait. Allow me the pleasure of walking you to your friend's house. It's the least I can do."

Sango eyed him warily, as if not sure what to expect, but reluctantly agreed.

Kagome grinned as the couplet walked out of the ice cream parlor. "Those two will be together before you know it. They're perfect for each other, I just wish Sango would see it."

"Ah, they'll come around eventually. Now back to us." He tugged her chin down gently so that they were face to face and leaned in to capture her lips when she placed a finger on his hovering mouth.

"I've got to go to the bathroom." She wormed her way out of his hold again, but not before placing a chaste kiss on his nose. "I'll be right back."

Inuyasha made a pouty face. "You're leaving me? You'd better be quick." Overturning her hand, he place a kiss on her palm. "I don't know how long I'll last without you."

"I'm sure you'll survive," Kagome teased withdrawing her hand and flashed him a smile that made his heart do a sudden flip flop in his chest before retreating to the lady's room.

She grinned broadly upon entering the bathroom. Euphoria. That is what she felt whenever she was with Inuyasha, her now official/first boyfriend. After the incident with the wolf youkai and the kiss they shared when it was all over and done with, he immediately decided that she was worthy of being 'his', which was a big shock to their family, friends, and those who had witnessed their animosity toward each other in the previous years.

At first, it felt odd for her to have him by her side when normally he pushed her aside when they were younger, but following the days of his heroic rescue of her almost certain demise, they were inseparable. They talked on the phone every minute that they weren't together and when they were, it was almost always a guarantee that things would become hot and steamy and while they hadn't actuallywent past second base, she knew he was the right one to give up her virginity to.

Blushing at the thought, Kagome finished her business and ventured back to their table where her adoring boyfriend would be waiting, but the sight that lay before her made Kagome stop dead in her tracks.

A girl, clad in indecent clothing with a miniskirt that rode up her thighs and a tube top that barely covered her breasts, sat comfortably on top of Inuyasha's lap, obscuring his face from view. She leaned in and began playing with his bangs, her words soft enough that only the hanyou's acute hearing could pick up on.

Kagome felt her heart constrict in her chest. He was cheating on her already? They had only been together three weeks and he didn't possess enough respect and honor for him to be loyal to her? A relatively large lump wedged itself into her esophagus, inhibiting her lungs from properly inhaling oxygen. Just as her eyes began to fill up with unwanted tears, the slutty looking girl was suddenly shoved onto the floor, all talking ceasing and all eyes on them.

"What the hell's gotten into you?" she hissed heatedly rubbing her rear end. "You weren't acting like that last time we were together."

"Stupid wench! When I say no, I mean fucking no! I-" he trailed off when his nose picked up the subtle scent of jasmine and immediately snapped his head up to where Kagome stood, an expression of hurt and bitterness betraying what she must be going through. Unable to look at him anymore she turned away from him and started walking out of the exit.

"Wait, Kagome!" Inuyasha jumped over Kikyo's fallen form and ran with the speed that only those of youkai descent possessed in front of Kagome before she could reach the double doors.

She blinked when he unexpectedly appeared before her. "Get out of my way, Inuyasha," she spat out his name with contempt and spite. "I knew I was right about you. You're nothing more than some womanizing playboy. I want nothing of you anymore."

"Kagome," his voice cracked emotion, his golden eyes reflecting pain and shame and aggravation that was literally tearing his soul apart inside. He didn't want to lose her. Inuyasha reached out for her hands, but was taken aback when she recoiled from his touch. "Kagome, it wasn't what you think. That fucking bitch is an over obsessive psycho and has been stalking me ever since day one."

Kagome sighed. Over obsessive psycho today. She wondered vaguely what would be tomorrow. Perhaps an compulsive neurotic freak? Would he be making up excuses for the rest of the time that they were together? "Inuyasha-" The rest of her sentence was discontinued when he enveloped her in his arms and crushed her to his body possessively.

"Kagome, you know I would never hurt you like that," he murmured breathily into the crook of her neck, drawing in her scent like a starved man while inwardly trying to assure himself that she wouldn't leave him. "I've never met a girl like you wench." Inuyasha loosened his hold on her just enough so that he could see her face. "I've never cheated on you since the day we started going out." He swept her bangs away from her forehead so that he could properly see her captivating sapphire jewels that shined up at him with bittersweet emotions flashing through them as sad and happy battled for control.

"And believe it or not," he continued softly, peering intensely into the beautiful windows of her soul, "this is the longest relationship that I've ever been in, ever. You make me feel complete. You are my friend, my enemy, my confidante, my sweetheart." His heart warmed as tears of happiness trailed down her pink cheeks. "Do you believe me when I say that you are the only one for me? And that I would rather gorge my eyes out than to betray the trust that you've me?"

"Yes, Inuyasha," she laughed throwing her arms around his neck. "I believe you. And I do forgive you." Snuggling into the warmth of his chest, she had never felt so alive, so cared for,…so loved in her life. And she would be lying if she didn't admit that his words had struck a tender cord within herself, a cord that was reserved whole hearted and completely to the one that captured her heart. And maybe, he was the one.

A round of applause ruptured the silence after their display. Some people whistled, some people awed, and some girls wished their boyfriends could be just as sweet as the handsome hanyou, but the couple didn't care. In fact they were too busy gazing lovingly into one another's eyes to care about anything else other than themselves…and failed to see the murderous gleam glinting dangerously in the brown eyes of the girl who had been shoved onto the middle of the floor and forgotten about.

* * *

"Why do you hate me?"

Inuyasha quickly masked the shock and surprise he had felt when those words fell from her lips. He hadn't expected her to be so…blunt about it. After successfully evading the topic of the origins of their hatred for the time that they had been stuck together, it just felt bizarre to finally be addressing the matter of abhorrence between them. But he wasn't yet ready to let go of the righteous anger that had been engraved in his soul for the latter part of his life. It fueled him. It drove him to go on, to survive, to succeed. And if they decisively eradicated that stimulation, what would be left? Would she expect them to go back to the way things once were? Where they had left off? Or would the resentment be too thoroughly etched into their hearts to forgive and forget?

"Why the fuck do you want to know anyway?" he snapped crossing his arms, incapable of restraining the mounting frustration this whole scenario was having on him. Feelings that he had locked deep within his being were suddenly being unearthed and it wasn't easy dealing with an issue that he had tried his best to hide and forget.

Kagome's eye twitched. "Because, Inuyasha, we need to work things out between ourselves since we're going to be stuck with each other for the rest of our existence. And I for one, am sick of dodging the subject. Now stop being so defensive and give me a straight up answer!"

"I don't have to if I don't want to," he snorted in a petty, childish manner that further exacerbated Kagome's already high strung disposition.

"Stop being a baby and just answer the question!" she yelled glaring at him.

"You're not the boss of me bitch! You tell me why you're so always in a pissy mood around me!"

"You want to know why I'm in a pissy mood around you Inuyasha! Fine! I hate your cocky attitude! I hate the way you think you're better than everybody else just because God gave you better looks than others! I hate the way you perpetually play around and toy with female's feelings and discard them as if they were a piece of worthless trash! But you want to know what I hate the most about you Inu-" Coughing abruptly racked her lungs, preventing her from finishing her declaration. She wheezed painfully and clutched her chest as the coughs racked her body violently.

Inuyasha winced as the air in her lungs continued to be expelled in rasps, his instincts telling him to comfort of help her, but his pride held him back. Clenching his teeth in resilience, he forced himself to remain immobile and listen to her gasp for air. It was her own damn fault for getting worked up in the first place. Regrettably this justification failed to bring him any consolation and made him feel even guiltier for just sitting there doing nothing.

"Why do you hate me so?" he asked quietly when her breathing became evened out again.

"I hate you," she collected the needed oxygen and slowly slanted him a penetrating glance, "because you are a back stabbing fiend who betrayed the love and trust I bestowed upon you and completely validated my initial conceptions of your typical behavior."

Inuyasha jumped indignantly to his feet at the accusation, an expression of incredulity written across his features. "You've got to be fucking kidding me bitch. You're a two timing wench that fooled around with that mangy wolf! You betrayed my trust!"

Kagome's mind reeled, her face scrunching in confusion as she sifted through scenario after scenario in her brain to see where he was coming from.

Inuyasha plopped back down on the floor in his usual cross legged position, his facial muscles twisted with pent up vexation. "I trusted you with my heart," he growled softly, fixating his heated gaze to the wall, finding it much easier to speak to an motionless object than directly to the one that had been the cause of all his misery. "You don't know how much it hurt me to see you with him. It was like a damn knife in my back." He suddenly rammed his fist in the ground, putting all the constrained emotions that waged had constant war inside of himself due to the events that took place into it.

"I'm not going to repeat myself bitch. Now get the hell away from me. Every time you come around you always manage to disrupt the peace. You're full of issues and drama that I don't want to be a part of. Now get out of my business and my life and stay away from Kagome." Paying no heed to pouting female in front of him, Inuyasha bypassed Kikyo without a second glance and began to look for his girl.

He knew they shouldn't have come to Yura's pool party, not when his jealous ex was out for blood and to get him back, which was the last thing that he wanted. Even after he tried to persuade Kagome that they could chill in his private pool within the comforts and luxury of his house, she insisted on coming, unconcerned with the fact that Kikyo would be there.

A smile curved the corners of his mouth, even thought the putrid stench of chlorine was strong enough to make him puke. That was his Kagome. Forever looking on the bright side of life and looking at the good in people instead of focusing on the bad. It was a wonder why she didn't have a boyfriend before they began seeing each other, though he was eternally grateful that he was her first boyfriend. The thought of another male touching what was his made a low growl escape his throat. She was his and his alone. And that was all that mattered.

But all thoughts fled his mind when he finally found her, his smile vanishing, his heart clenching painfully.

This was the girl that had always been loyal to him. This was the girl he doted on daily and gave his undivided attention to every waking moment of his life for the past month. This was the girl who had captured his heart in a way no other had come even close to. This was the girl who he wanted to marry someday. The was the girl he had come to love.

And to see her, in the arms of another, her head tilted back as the wolf slowly placed a kiss on her lips, the lips that belonged to him, infuriated him beyond words. But it was the pain that hurt more. The pain at seeing the girl he loved wrapped up in the embrace of another male, her body flush against his.

And that was all Inuyasha could take before he snapped. Sprinting toward the kissing couple like hell was on his heels, the hanyou howled in fury and pain and other chaotic emotions that made him blind to anything else and drove his fist into Kouga's face. The wolf's head snapped back, the force of it making him lose his equilibrium and fell into the pool, allowing Inuyasha to yank her toward him.

He tried with all his might to calm the furor of fury within him and it wasn't helping that she stared at him like he was slime, sending another painful jolt directly into his heart. "Kagome," he ground out, his voice thick with the unsaid feelings racing fervently through his soul, "what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Jutting her chin out stubbornly, she stared back at him with equal intensity. "Exactly what it looks like I'm doing. Leaving you." His hand latched tightly onto hers before she could turn to leave. "Get off of me Inuyasha," she ordered tightly, blue eyes flashing with bridled anger and held a pissed off Kouga at bay with a hand. "Stay out of this."

"Tell me what the hell is going on," he demanded in a deadly quiet tone, his grip gradually tautening, flames of rage searing through his veins, his liquid gold orbs ablaze with barely controlled restraint .

"You want to know what is going on, I'll tell you what is going on. I am no longer your girlfriend Inuyasha, because I'm tired of being treated like just another one of your play things. Unlike your persona, I actually have feelings, and I'd rather not get them trampled over by your callousness and lies." She snatched back her wrist with a force that caught even him off guard. "At least I know where Kouga's loyalty lies."

Each word struck a raw nerve, wounding him deeply. How could she? Concealing his confusion and pain behind a mask of vehemence and bitterness as she walked over to where Kouga was patiently waiting for her, he folded his arms to hold himself back from punching the daylights out somebody. "At least now I know what a manipulative bitch you really are." He smirked when he got the desired effect, for she had stopped retreating. "You fucking played me for a joke. And I'll admit it, that you had me. I got caught up in your little game and didn't see what was really going on until now. Thanks for nothing. Oh, and when you have time, be sure to get your fucking knife out of my back. I'm sure you'll need it in due time for the wolf and then he'll be able to see what a whoring little wench you are." Had not the chlorine of the pool and the stench of people crowded his nose, he would've been able to smell the scent of fresh tears exuding from his now ex girlfriend.

Kagome stared implausibly at him. "You seriously cannot believe that I was the one who initiated all this unnecessary drama?"

"I caught you in the arms of that stinking wolf, not the other way around!" he snapped.

"What about before that happened? Let me refresh your memory in four simple words," she hissed. "You. Kikyo. Locker room."

"Are you sure you want to go to Yura's pool party?" Inuyasha inquired behind the shades of his expensive Gucci sunglasses, his arm draped casually across the shoulders of his girlfriend as the limo pulled up the designated mansion.

"Of course I want to go," Kagome reassured him with a smile and pressed her lips lightly upon his to show that she meant it. There was no way in hell she was going to let him attend his ex girlfriend's pool party alone. She trusted him, but she didn't trust a bunch of over zealous, half naked females who would all squawk at the chance to get Inuyasha, minus his girlfriend, alone.

"Come one, I'm hot and I want to go in for a dip." She started to get out when the chauffeur opened the door for them, but was suddenly pulled back in when Inuyasha sneakily snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap.

"Or we can just stay in here with the air conditioner while I make you even hotter," he growled nipping her on her uncovered shoulder and with a clawed hand gently began massaging her thigh muscles, in which her short shorts allowed access to.

She shivered in pleasure at his ministrations, but knew that she would stay inside the limo forever if he did it any longer. "Inuyasha, we'll have plenty of time for that later," Kagome playfully swatted his wandering hand away from legs and scooted off of his lap.

Inuyasha's chest heaved in mock exasperation. "Ah, you're such a tease Kag."

"You know you wouldn't have it any other way," she winked before getting out.

"Damn straight."

The party was already under way by the time the butler led them to the back. Bikini clad girls lay tanning on their beach towels while the guys played around in the Olympic size pool, where a volleyball net had been set up. Tables had been set up with various hors d'oeuvres laid out in case anyone got hungry. Music pumped loudly through the triple bass sound system on the deck, where those whose strong point wasn't swimming, were dancing wildly, some giving each other body shots of whatever drinks were available.

Kagome grinned when she saw her friends lounging near the shallow end of the pool. "Hey Inuyasha, I'm going to say hi to some people." She stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the chin.

Unsatisfied with her display of affection, Inuyasha embraced her lithe frame and tugged her closer to him. "I don't want to share you with anybody else," he purred seductively into her ear, the vibrations of his voice making a piercing jolt of some inexplicable sensation contract in lower abdomen and igniting her desires for him.

"I-Inuyasha," she trembled in his hold, her breath catching, her pulse racing.

Catching whiff of her change in scent, the hanyou desires piqued as well. "Lets leave now." His voice had become low and husky. He nipped her bottom lip, pleading for an opening.

Kagome parted her lips and welcomed his stroking tongue, enjoying the warmth and security of his embrace, the overwhelming smell of his spicy scent that put made her mind fog up with thoughts she shouldn't be thinking of. She suddenly pulled away breathlessly. "Inuyasha," she chided playfully, her cheeks flushed with red, "behave yourself, we're in public."

"Your point?" He leaned in for another taste of heaven but she evaded him.

"Bye Inuyasha," she teased tweaking his ear for good measure and walked over to where her friends lay soaking up the sun.

"Wow, you two just can't seem to get enough of each other," Sango remarked with a wry smile as soon as she sat down beside them.

"What can I say? He's a great kisser," Kagome responded pulling her shirt over her head so that her bikini would be in viewing range and to hide her red face.

"Aww, Kag, you don't need to be modest about it. You and Inuyasha make such a cute couple," Ayame commented rubbing suntan lotion over her skin.

"I thought youkai don't get sunburns or sun strokes," Sango inquired.

"We don't. Its just that I can't stand the smell of chlorine. Its sickening." The wolf youkai slathered on more of the cream.

Kagome frowned as she went to take off her shorts and realized that Inuyasha had left his cell phone in her pocket since didn't have any. "Hey guys, I have to give that idiot his phone. I'll be right back." She stood up and walked back over to where she had left him. "Inuyasha, where are you," she said to herself, skimming the crowd for his trademark white hair and grinned when she caught him going into the outdoor custom made locker room that was designed to house the needs of those who needed a place to put their stuff.

Happy that they would have a little alone time in the small domicile, Kagome trailed after him into the locker area, a goofy smile on her face. But her path was cut off when someone stepped in front of her.

"Higurashi, what a pleasure to see you here. Were you invited too?"

Kagome's smile faltered, but she kept it plastered to her face his sake. "Obviously Hojo or I wouldn't be here."

He laughed. "You're such a kidder Higurashi. So are you reallyhaving fun?"

"I am, but I really have to go now," she said tapping her foot impatiently. "But it was nice seeing you."

"Same here. Oh, and tell Inuyasha I said hi," he said smiling and moved back so she could pass.

"Sure thing." Skirting around his smiling form, Kagome headed to the locker room. She wrinkled her nose as soon as she stepped in. It smelled like a mixture mildew, dirty socks, and chlorine. Not a pleasant aroma in the least. Her ears picked up when she heard his unmistakable voice and followed his silky tone down the line of lockers until she reached the end. It seemed as though he was talking to someone else. Peeking her head curiously from around the bend, she looked to see what was transpiring.

A spike of jealousy ripped its way through her soul, shattering her happy mood. Anger and hurt and shock rippled through her like wildfire. Inuyasha, the hanyou who had vowed to her in front of a crowd of people in the ice cream parlor that he would never cheat on her, had his back turned to her and was in the middle of whispering something into the ear of the same girl who he claimed he had no affiliation to while her arms encircled his neck, her fingers nimbly playing with his hair as she giggled to whatever he was saying.

Choking back a sob, Kagome leaned back and quietly left. The gravity of the situation proving too much for her heart to handle. Even though they had only been together for a month, she loved him with every fiber of her being and was planning on telling him. But obviously he didn't feel the same way. With heated emotions overtaking her mind and unshed tears clouding her vision, she failed to notice she had bumped into someone until that person seized her by the shoulders to prevent her from falling.

"Kagome, are you alright?"

She blinked back the salty water to clear her vision. "Kouga?"

He smudged a lone tear that had trailed down her face. "It should be a sin for girl as pretty as you to cry. Its not very becoming."

Kagome managed a thin smile. "Sorry. I just caught Inuyasha in Kikyo's arms and I couldn't handle it. I mean, I thought he loved me…well be never really verbalized it, but I thought it was like this unspoken thing between us. I knew I shouldn't have trusted him," she said bitterly.

"Oh, Kagome," he murmured enclosing her into an embrace. "Just know that if you need any comfort or anything, I'm here for you."

"Thank you Kouga," she said into his glistening wet chest.

"I know that this must be a difficult time for you right now, but you have to remain strong. Don't give him the satisfaction of seeing you down and miserable. Be strong Kagome. I know you have the strength to get through this, I have faith in you."

His words inspired her to pull herself together. He was right. She possessed the strength to get through this. And she would. Detaching from him a bit, Kagome smiled into his suntanned face. "Thanks Kouga. You really made me feel a lot better."

He winked at her. "No problem Kag. I'd do anything for the girl I want to become my girlfriend."

Red began to stain her cheeks at his barefaced statement. "Umm, girlfriend? So soon? I just got out of a relationship."

"All the better to get in one before you get depressed again. Think about it Kagome. I will always be there for you. And have no doubt that I will always remain loyal to you and only you. I've had a crush on you since the first day I've saw you. I never had the courage to ask you out until now." He gazed into her endless pools of blue. "Give me a chance. I promise you that I won't let you down like mutt face did. He's too ignorant to know how to treat a beautiful girl with the respect and trust she deserves." And with that he leaned down to press a gently kiss to her lips, to prove that he was being honest.

His kiss was nice, but it was strangely lacking in some incomprehensible way which didn't compare to Inuyasha's hot, fervent lips crushing her own. Kagome mentally wrote off the thought, and blushed in response. Why was she comparing kisses now of all times? Her mental reverie was disrupted when someone punched Kouga into the face and yanked her out of his arms. Her eyes widened in shock before curving to disgust at who it was.

Inuyasha sat quietly after she had stopped speaking, his blank golden orbs exposing no trace of emotion. Outwardly, he was the embodiment of calm, inwardly was another thing. His mind lurched with confusion and understanding at the same time. His guilt had reached staggering heights as he began to see the stupidity of his ways. She had seen him with Kikyo. That was what had set in motion the events to come.

"Would you say something and stop staring into space," her voice cut through his thoughts and brought him back to reality.

He stared into her irritated eyes. "What do you want me to say?"

"First off, you can start with how all of this is your fault-"

"My fault!"

"Yes your fault," she hissed. "You told me that _she _was some obsessive fanatic, but then I caught you in the act with her in your arms."

Inuyasha minced the vegetation on the ground to keep his anger in check. "What you saw in the locker room was fucking nothing," he said through gritted teeth, "All I wanted to do was take a piss and suddenly she shows up behind me, claiming that I should leave you for her-"

"I guess you took her up on that offer," Kagome muttered.

"Shut up and let me finish!" he snapped at her. "And I couldn't accept it for obvious reasons and so she asked if she could get one last hug from me and then she would be out of my life forever. So I agreed. And while I hugged her, I basically told her to stay the hell away from us. And that was it."

"Then why was she giggling when you told her this?" Kagome shot back.

He threw up his hands in frustration. "The hell if I know! I told you she was one fucked up bitch. I was glad to get away from her crazy ass. One minute I'm telling her to stay out of my life, the next she is laughing like its some kind of joke. Maybe she saw you and wanted to make you jealous. I don't know what goes through her psychotic mind."

Kagome didn't say anything for a moment as she let her mind digest what the hanyou had just revealed to her.

Inuyasha smirked. "Come on bitch, say something and stop looking so stupefied."

She sighed. "I don't have anything to say other than this whole situation is screwed up."

"What screwed up about it is that you're the one who actually cheated in this relationship," Inuyasha said cynically. "Throughout the whole time that we were together, I've never kissed another girl besides you. You, on the other hand, ran right into the arms of that wolf five seconds after you see me with Kikyo. And then kiss him for fuck's sake! What the hell were you thinking!"

"I didn't want to think, that was the whole idea! It made me sick to my stomach when I saw you with her."

"And yet you didn't have the common sense to face me in the locker room? If you had just spoke up and demanded what the fuck I was doing, we wouldn't be sitting here yelling at each other right now!"

"So you're saying that this was all my fault!" she yelled indignantly standing to her feet.

"Yes it was all of your fault!" he yelled right back to her. "You betrayed our trust! You ran away from the situation instead of confronting it straight up! And if you hadn't been such a fucking slut, we would probably still be together!"

Kagome would be lying if she didn't say that that last bit stung. It was like a slap on the face, the words hurting her to the core, the heart, more than anything he had ever said to her before. "I don't have to stay here and take this crap. I'm leaving."

She stormed out of the cave without a backward's glance, holding back the tears that threatened to fall and threw the bushes and branches out of her way so she could leave. The harsh pelting of the rain as a crack of lightening ignited the sky in a burst of electricity made Kagome second guess her decision about walking out. But her pride wouldn't let her. Instead, she continued to march, to where, she didn't know. All she knew was that she didn't want to stay in that cave another minute with him. Withholding the sudden urge to give in to another cough attack, she continued on into the dark, cold, and stormy night. A hand suddenly gripped her hand from behind, temporarily halting her steps.

"Get back in the cave now before the wind blows your ass away!" Inuyasha shouted over the howling of the gale force winds.

"No! You're the one who can't stand being me around since I'm such a slut!" she spat in his face and tried to wrench her wrist free unsuccessfully, the raging winds and the coldness of the bombardment of rain further inciting her aggravation. "Maybe I should just stay out here and dig myself a hole and sleep in it given that filth such as myself shouldn't be in the presence of you!" She squeaked in opposition when he picked her up and hauled her over his shoulder effortlessly, only setting her back down once they were back within the confines of the his hand made cave.

"Didn't I tell you that you're not going anywhere until your illness has passed?" Inuyasha said with his back turned as he the reconfigure the makeshift door to the cavern.

"Just leave me alone," Kagome sighed, too tired to summon the energy to argue or get angry once more. Their relationship was too confusing and he was only making things worse and with an impending migraine throbbing dully in her head, she just wasn't in the mood to consider what could have been and what should have been or what would have been. She simply wanted to rest her aching body. Another spasm of coughing assailed her lungs before she turned over on her side to face the wall. Shivering slightly within Inuyasha's wet shirt and from lack of clothing, Kagome huddled into a fetal position, self-respect keeping her from asking Inuyasha to light the fire. She didn't need his help. She could do fine all by herself.

Striking a match from the book he had carefully safeguarded within the pocket of his khakis, Inuyasha tossed the flaming stick into the pile of brushwood and watched as the fire came to life. Sinking onto the palm and moss laden ground, he leaned back against the wall and crossed his arm, glancing at the girl who slept on the opposite side of the blazing inferno, hunched into a little ball off in the corner.

He winced as he replayed their conversation over in his head, his conscious screaming stupid over and over in his mind. He had called her a slut. It just slipped out in the heat of the moment. His ears wilted sadly. It was no wonder she hated him. Things would always slip out of mouth when he was angry, things that he had no control over and it killed him inside that he had said those things to her now and then.

Making a mental note to apologize and make it up to her in the morning, he turned on his back and stared at the ceiling of the cave. Maybe after he expressed regret for calling those horrible names to her, they could start over, or perhaps, pick up where they left off. He had missed her, even after all the years had passed. He had missed her high-spiritedness. He had missed her scent. Their kisses. Her gentle touch. But most of all, he missed holding her in his arms. It was a feeling he had never forgotten and though he had tried on numerous occasions to squelch the feeling with other women, it was just never the same.

Finally giving in to his exhaustion, Inuyasha closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.

It was about three in the morning when the smell hit him. The raw, prevailing scent of it. His eyes quickly adjusting to the lack of light since the fire had long since died out, Inuyasha rolled over and sat up, instantly alert. His stomach tightened in knots as he glanced in the direction where it was emitting strongly from. Kagome.

Golden eyes wide with genuine fear and concern, he rushed to her side. "Kagome?"

No response.

He hesitantly reached over to touch her. The biting sting of her cold, pasty skin sent a shock up his arm. Fear painfully gripped his chest as he slowly turned her over, semi afraid of what would greet him. His heart virtually stopped, his breath catching in his throat as all oxygen left his lungs. "Kagome!"

End. (for now of course)

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AN: Well, there you go. Chapter 14 all done, with just an teensy weensy little cliffhanger. You guys should be alright. And in case you're confused, combine the elements of an oncoming cold, wet clothes, and freezing temperature and what do you get. One hypothermic Kagome.

Until next time people. Remember to review! Ciao for now!


	15. The Intimacy

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing affiliated with Inuyasha.

**AN**: I'm so sorry about the late update guys. But when you are stuck babysitting three bratty kids when your parents go on honeymoon for a week and develop a cold and pink eye in both eyes, there doesn't leave much time for updating. As you all can see, I changed the rating to R because of Inuyasha's potty mouth and hints of lime that I'm incorporating into the story.

Anyway, thank you guys for all of your wonderful support and the love. You guys are so funny!!! And you all inspire me. Thanks so much! And gracias to **FrameOfMind**, **iNiGmA**, **dymond**, **Baybe-Dinez**, **FallingDarkness**, **PreciousRin**, and **szmadad** for their extra long reviews. Gotta love them long reviews. -

In the next chapter, which hopefully won't take as long to update since I'm going on vacation, I'll probably let you all pick which fics that appeals most to you that I'm thinking about. **And before you go off and read this chapter let me warn those who are underage or are uncomfortable with sexual situations. Be warned that there is some hints of lime towards the end of this chapter. Nothing really serious but it does contain citrus content**. And now that that's out of the way, enjoy people!

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The Intimacy

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_Summer unofficially ended with the commencement of school the week following her and Inuyasha's controversial break up. And for Kagome, the first day of school, which had always began with smiles and hugs from those she hadn't seen over the duration of the summer, started on a sour note. Though she had had a week to recover from the falling out with the hanyou, Kagome couldn't seem to focus, as if a part of her were missing, a very important part of her, not that she'd admit it. _

_It felt strange, not staying up talking to him at all hours of the night into the early hours of the morning and not having her brother yell at her from across the hall to shut up when she giggled a little too loudly at the outrageous things he used said to hear her laugh. It was strange for her and probably everybody else in her household to not see his familiar face hanging around the house or calling every waking second of the day just so he could hear the sound of her voice. But what was strangest of all, was the coldness that came from the lack of warmth of his body not being near her or touching her or holding her. She would be lying if she said she didn't miss him. She couldn't count the times she had cried herself to sleep over the past week, hating him, hating herself, hating their situation, hating the world. _

_She had expected the first day of school would be horrible, that he would be there and would make a spectacle of her like he had done that day by the pool. She hadn't expected for everything to go wrong within the first five minutes and without him even in sight. As soon as she walked in the building she had seen them, hell, the entire student body had seen them. Her name, spray painted along all the walls of each and every one of the corridors in such a graphic manner that it reduced her to tears, calling her a slut and what a bitch she was and how she didn't deserve someone as wonderful as Inuyasha. _

_Of course her friends tried to shield her from the deprecating explicitness in which her name was being cast about as, but their attempts were futile, for it was hard not to see the ugly red graffiti stained walls that seemed to glare at her from all sides. And yet, she held her head high, ignoring the stares, the whispers, the snickers she received from her peers. No amount of threatening on both Sango and Ayame's part to those who looked down upon their friend could deter the intense sense of betrayal and shame and embarrassment that overcame Kagome as they walked to their first period class. _

_She could stand the nasty, scathing comments about her that were scribbled on the hallways of her school. She could endure the derisive comments that were murmured through the throng of students as they gaped at her and pointed out on what a fool she was for cheating on 'the great Inuyasha'. But her resolve immediately deflated as soon as she stepped inside her class and saw him. Her heart practically stopped in her chest. He wasn't supposed to be in her homeroom. He wasn't even in the same year as her. The fates were against her. As if sensing her presence, he turned around from the girl he had been talking to, to lock eyes with her. _

_He was still the same old Inuyasha. The same long, flowing silver locks that she loved entangling her hands in. The same arrogant aura that practically oozed with over self confidence. The same beautifully chiseled facial features. The same sexy, full lips that she used to love teasing with her own. But there was a subtle difference about him now. Those eyes. Those gorgeous amber eyes she had always loved gazing into, which had always been full of love and tenderness and warmth whenever he looked at her, were a stark contrast to what they once had been. _

_He stared at her dispassionately, his cold amber depths reflecting an aloofness that he probably learned from his brother, a flicker of contempt and disgust wordlessly conveying just how he felt about her. Sparing her not another moment's glance, he dismissed her completely and turned his attention back to the girl that had attached herself to his arm, a slow smile spreading across his face as he looked down on her as she gazed up at him adoringly. _

_"Kagome," Ayame ground out after witnessing the display between the two ex lovers, her claws clenched angrily as she restrained her temper with much difficulty at the scene before them, "just give me the word and I'll rip out his throat faster than you can say bastard." _

_She wouldn't cry. She had promised herself she wouldn't cry. He didn't deserve her tears and he would only gloat, making her feel worse and making his fat head fatter. So instead, she got angry. Really angry. So angry that she almost took Ayame up on her offer to maim him. But she wouldn't stoop to his level. She was better than that. "No Ayame, just let that worthless hanyou wallow in his own foulness and idiocy," she said in a clipped tone, quiet enough so that only her friends could here, but loud enough so her words reached the sensitive doggy ears that sat upon the hanyou's head. _

_Golden eyes abruptly shifted in her direction, simmering ire welling up within their depths as fangs slowly began to protrude from his mouth. "You want to say that out loud bitch?" he snapped irately rising from his slouched position against the desk and coming to his full height, totally forgetting the girl and their conversation in the heat of the moment. _

_"You heard me dog boy. I don't have to repeat myself for you," she stated mildly, tossing her hair over her shoulder flippantly and walked over to a desk in the back. _

_The occupants of the classroom had gone silent, all eager to watch the long anticipated blow out to occur in the battle between exes. _

_Suppressing a growl, Inuyasha put a leash his temper, knowing that if he acted a fool now he'd only make a spectacle of himself in front of everybody and give her the upper hand and make him look like an idiot. So he contented himself with crossing his arms and putting a smirk on his face, living up to his conceited nature. "You know you're pretty cocky for a two bit whore who likes to fuck with wolves. I don't know why I rescued you from that gang of wolves a month ago. You probably wanted them to have their way with you in the first place." _

_It was a blatant lie. He knew. She knew it. Her friends knew it. But that didn't lessen the sting any. A wave of coldness washed over her, flooding with a feeling of profound sorrow and pain at the hateful words that had just spewed at her from the one she used to consider her soul mate. Choking back the hot tears that burned in the back of her eyeballs, she clenched her fists at her side and said nothing in retaliation as a pissed Ayame, coming to her defense, leapt across the room and pounced on the hanyou in a flurry of movement. _

_The teacher came rushing into the room upon hearing all of the commotion and jeers from the other students and sent everyone who was involved to the principal's office. Both she, Sango, Ayame, and him were given detention on the first day of school. But Kagome didn't care, for neither she, nor the rest of her friends stepped foot in the school halls again. After her parents found out what happened to their little girl and the graphic things that were written about it, she was immediately switched to school in another district, saving her from having to face Inuyasha ever again. _

_Of course, they never did find who the culprit was that spray painted those things about her, but Kagome had a good idea who it was. And she thanked Kami every day that she would never have to see his face again, or thought so. _

"Kagome!" Inuyasha crouched down beside her and cupped her pale, waxy cheeks in his palms and tried to detain the fear that threatened to explode into straight out panic. She wasn't moving. Her usually pink lips were blue and the paleness of her skin reminded him of that of a corpse. His heart thudded painfully against his ribs as his gut twisted and churned in angst. This was definitely not the time to panic.

Gritting his teeth and steeling his rattled nerves, he forced himself to calm down and focus. Tentatively, Inuyasha slid his hands down her colorless cheeks to neck in hopes of finding a pulse. A flood of relief washed over him when he felt the pulsation beating faintly beneath his finger tips. It was weak, too weak to sustain life for very long, but at least it was there.

The nerve in his jaw twitched. Hypothermia. That's what it had to be. The blue lips, the sheet white skin coloration, the rigidity of her entire body, the disturbingly low body temperature, and the damp clothes that clung to her like a second skin were all factors of the potentially deadly illness. And it was all his fault. If he hadn't pissed her off she wouldn't have stormed out of the cave and into the pouring down rain of the storm. And if he had cared enough to have made her sleep by the fire instead of sleeping in a distant corner of the cave where drafts from the windy conditions outside had escaped to, she wouldn't be at the brink of death.

And if there was one thing he knew about hypothermia, it was that if the victim stayed unconscious for too long, they would without a doubt, die and the thought of her dying beside him scared him almost to death. He needed to work fast if she was going to live. "Kagome, you will not die on me," he growled slapping her cheeks lightly to awaken her motionless form. "Oi wench! Wake the fuck up!"

Her eyes remained closed, her body still unresponsive to his endeavors.

"Kagome! Open your fucking eyes and look at me!" Inuyasha barked angrily, underlying hints of anxiety and fretfulness taking away some of the harshness of his words.

A puff of visible breath, denoting just how cold she was, slipped through her blue lips, subsequently followed by the slight cracking of her eyes, revealing a pair of dilated, glassy blue orbs.

The hanyou let out the lungful of air he had been involuntarily holding, freeing him from the apprehension that had held him captive only moments ago. "You scared the shit out of me bitch," he murmured leaning over and nuzzling her cold cheek with his own. The scent of sickness was thick on her skin, but beneath it all, he could still smell her own distinct and unique scent that somewhat settled the turmoil that raged within him.

Kagome was cold, cold and numb. Cold enough that she could feel the numbness seeping into her bones. Even her brain felt frozen. Her head hurt and it was getting harder to breath by the second. And she was tired, so very tired. All she wanted to do was let the dark abyss to lay its claim on her and escape the coldness that had pervaded and infused her blood with liquid ice. Her body felt heavy, so unbearable heavy. Even the simple act of keeping her eyes open was becoming harder task by the minute.

The first thing she realized was that something moderately heavy and so warm that it actually burned, was resting on her cheek. And through the fogginess, the coldness, the numbness that seemed to hold her body and mind captive, one name came to mind. "I-inu…" His name froze on the tip of her sedated tongue like a block of ice, refusing to budge any further.

His head snapped up at her broken utterance. "What? What is it?" he questioned anxiously, his brows creased in concern and worry as he leaned over to hear her better.

"S-s-sleep." Her words, mingled together with a wisp of icy air that curled from her mouth, were an octave lower than a whisper, making even the half demon strain to hear what she had said.

"No! you can't go to sleep!" he growled as her eyelids began to lower themselves. Fear clutched his chest when she ignored him. "Kagome!" He positioned himself over top of her body and with both hands grasped her face delicately, lifting it inches off the floor, forcing her cloudy blue eyes to open and look at him resignedly. "If you lose consciousness again, you will wake up in the afterlife."

He held fast to her face when she groaned and attempted weakly to extricate herself from his loose grasp. Why wouldn't he leave her alone? He had already insulted her enough tonight to last a lifetime. All she wanted to do was sleep. She felt her eyelids sagging.

"Please, listen to me," he beseeched earnestly, the pleading tone of his voice plucking a tender cord within her partially frozen heart. With a defeated sigh, she stopped struggling, her neck being too stiff to resist any further and tried to focus her misty orbs on the blurred form that loomed above her body, too tired to argue or put forth an effort.

"You are hypothermic wench, which means that your body temperature is too low to sustain life for long. You need to stay awake, get out of that wet crap, and get warm fast. Now I know you don't want to die here on this deserted island out in the middle of nowhere with me of all people, so I need you to listen to me. Understand?"

If her mind, body, and soul hadn't been bogged down with numbness and if her lungs weren't feeling as though they were being juiced in some kind of electric contraption designed solely to convert solids to liquids, she would've been surprised by his sudden change of heart and outright concern for her well being. Willing her slacken eyelids to stay up, Kagome nodded in acknowledgment, or as best she could with rigid neck muscles. "H-h-urts…. breathing." Forcing out the two words sent an acute jolt directly into her heart, causing her to wince in response.

"Don't move. Just stay still and relax." His heart clenched as he witnessed the brief spasm of pain flit across her taut facial muscles. Seeing her in this sort of pain, in this sort of predicament literally tore him up inside. He was supposed to be her protector, her provider, and all he had offered her with was mental, emotional, and physical suffering, both now and then. He was the cause of all of her misery and if he hadn't been such an ass to her, she would be fine.

He swallowed hard. But she wasn't fine and judging by the shallow, erratic pitches of her labored breathing, she was getting worse. If he didn't act fast, he might lose her forever. Just the thought of him going on without her made his blood run as cold as her own. "I'll be right back. Don't go dying on me." Inuyasha gently swept away her damp bangs from her forehead before getting up and heading toward the mouth of the cave. Kicking away the brush, he stepped out into the open. The temperature had dropped drastically from what it was hours ago, which probably accounted for her current condition.

Mentally chastising himself for his lack of common sense, her raced into the wooded area in hopes of finding some dry article to use for the fire. Finding crap to burn wasn't hard; finding crap that was dry was. The storm had tapered off earlier, leaving the entire island soaking wet in its wake as Inuyasha discovered on his journey. There wasn't one single dry anything that he could find. Shit. Why didn't he put extra firewood in the cave before just in case this happened? And now because of his stupidity, Kagome was suffering.

Letting out a howl of rage, Inuyasha slashed through the base of a nearby tree that was in his way, narrowly missing being hit by it as he weaved in and out of the thicket of foliage. How could he make a fire for her if there was no dry wood? He abruptly stopped in his tracks, golden orbs widening as an idea struck him. Her clothes. The clothes she had brought after she had fell into the lagoon had to be dry by now. And that ugly yellow bag of hers could be burnable. Granted fire set off on clothes and a cheap bag wouldn't last very long, but it was better than nothing at all.

With this plan mind, the hanyou retraced his path and flew back toward the cave, disregarding the wet branches that slapped mercilessly at his half naked form on all sides, too absorbed in his mission to be deterred by anything. Immediately after he got back, he repositioned the makeshift door of branches and bushes and directed his gaze to Kagome, who was still in the same place he had left her, staring at the wall through half lidded orbs. She was still sheet white, her breathing had gotten thinner, but she was alive and that was all that mattered.

Her clothes had been carelessly tossed to the side at the further end of the small cave along with her yellow bag. Inuyasha snatched them from the ground and threw them into the fire pit amongst the ash and cinders from the previous fire. "Matches, matches." he fumbled inside his pants pockets for the book and growled in frustration when he failed to come across it. "Where are the fucking matches?"

"Inu….yasha." It took all of what was left of her willpower and strength push the cloud of air from her mouth and feebly point to where he had dropped them.

Following her shaky finger with his eyes, Inuyasha saw the white book of matches half shrouded beneath the foliage that covered the floor by his feet. "Oh." Hurriedly sweeping it up, he quickly took one out and with one flick of the wrist, lit it and tossed into the pit, which instantly came to life as soon as the alighted stick touched base with the material within.

Now that that was over and done with, the hanyou turned his attention back to Kagome, who was at the moment languidly watching the dancing flames with sleep laden eyes. He had to get her out of those damp clothes. Praying to whatever gods were listening that she wouldn't 'sit' him for what he was about to do, he carefully kneeled down beside her and without hesitation began to unbutton the damp shirt he had given to her beforehand.

Either knowing his intentions or too drained from her hypothermic state to care, Kagome didn't protest against his activities as long, nimble fingers unfastened the damp shirt. Once she was free from the confines of the top, Inuyasha laid it out in front of the fire so it would warm up and later be used as a blanket. The hanyou grimaced when he turned back to her, realizing that she was now only clad in her bikini. She was going to maim him when she found out that he had stripped her down to nothing.

Inuyasha hesitated for a brief moment, uncertainty flickering through his troubled orbs. In order for her to thoroughly warm up and the hypothermia to completely diminish, skin-to-skin contact was a necessity. And that meant everything had to come off. "Please don't kill me when you get better," he groaned and glanced nervously at her for approval to go on.

But she didn't look back at him, for her eyes had closed as she had begun drifting further and further away from consciousness, each breath becoming shallower and slower, until the erratic rise and fall of her chest was no longer visible.

"Fuck! Kagome!" The silver haired hanyou frantically rushed to her side in a flash and placed a furry ear to her chest. The beating of her heart was so subtle and irregular that he had to make an actual effort to perceive the sound that he could usually hear ten yards away. She was fading and fading fast. Whatever restraint had held him back before from undressing her wholly was completely forgotten as he undressed her and stripped himself of his pants and boxers so that all he was clad in was the prayer beads around his neck. He had to get her warm. With a gentleness even he didn't know he possessed, Inuyasha encircled the stiff form of his wife and moved closer toward the blazing inferno.

Once positioning himself a good distance from the fire, not too close that he would be able to feel the embers that sporadically shot out of the flames, not too far that she wouldn't be able to draw in the heat, Inuyasha cautiously laid back on the floor of the cave, pulling Kagome deftly on top of him. Tucking her head tenderly beneath his chin, he enveloped his arms around her naked torso, making sure he didn't scratch her with his claws, and encompassed her freezing legs between his own in hopes she would absorb his warmth. "Come on wench, don't give up on me now," he begged as his forefinger ran across the soft curve of her jawbone.

He held her tightly against him. The urge to protect what was his had never been so strong, so intense, so overwhelming. And it frustrated the hell out of him to know that there was nothing he could do but wait and hope that the little warmth he had to offer her would be enough to reheat her blood and snap her out of her unconscious state. He wanted to see her beautiful blue eyes filled with happiness and fire and enthusiasm again. He wanted to see her beautiful smile that always managed to lift his heart. He wanted her to live.

His throat closed up, his arms unconsciously tightening around her cold, lithe frame. She couldn't die. He wouldn't let her.

Suddenly her breathing ceased completely.

His heart went cold and numb with unbidden fear. "Kagome!" He shifted her so that he was on top with her body trapped beneath his heated one, his hands trembling as he cradled her face with his palms. Tears of frustration and vulnerability clouded in his eyes. "Kagome," he whispered bringing his forehead lightly against to hers, a lone tear trickling down his cheek. "Please. Don't leave me." _'Not before I get a chance to say I'm sorry_.'

* * *

Yawning, Kagome continued her trek down the narrow tunnel in hopes that she would arrive at her destination soon. It was a little too dark and a little too long for her liking. A smile broke out on her face as she neared the iridescent light at the end, the brightness and happiness that exuded from it acting like a beacon for her soul. It shone with so much love and joviality that it warmed her to her very core. And with a few more strides, she would be there.

_"Wench….please…don't leave me." _

She stopped dead in her tracks, the melancholy yet familiar voice reverberating against the walls of the tunnel, sending shivers down her spine. Frowning at the foreign feeling, she glanced back only to see the same desolate darkness at the opposite end of the long tunnel in which she had just come from. Brushing it off as just her imagination, Kagome started walking en route for the light once again, a smile once again extending across her features. Almost there. She could almost feel the warmth of the light against her chilled skin.

_"Kagome." _

There it was once more. That same, forlorn, hauntingly familiar masculine voice who expressed her name with such remorse, such complete sadness, that tugged painfully on her heart strings, making her prolong those few final steps into the light.

"_I'm sorry…Kagome,"_ he began again, the words carried by gentle wisps of wind that originated from the dark end of the tunnel to where she stood now_. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most. I tried…and I let you down. It wasn't enough. You're dead…and its all because of me…"_ the voice cracked and broke off with constrained emotion for a moment.

Kagome's brows furrowed in confusion. Dead? '_What the hell is going on?_' she thought straining to sift through the hazy memories that eluded her.

"_I'm a complete fuck up, a failure to my parents, my friends, and especially to you. I know I've treated you like shit over and over again ever since that day by the pool. The only reason I called you those horrible names and tried to hate you was because I was hurt by what happened between us. Every time I closed my eyes I pictured you in the arms of the stinking wolf and it made me say things I regret everyday for calling you."_

Blue eyes suddenly widened in recognition as his words rang through her mind. "Inuyasha."

_"Damnit wench,"_ his voice laced with what she discerned as scarcely contained misery and self-loathing_, "Kami knows I've tried to forget you all these years and to forget what we shared. I hated you and blamed you for all the failed relationships I had ever since you walked out of life, because every single one of them could never measure up to you. They never smelled as good as you, or laughed the way you do, or completed me the way you did. No one could take your place in my heart and that scared the shit out of me. Because even after all these years, all the drama, all the mocking and angry words, all the ups and downs…I still loved you and I don't think anything or anyone could ever change the way I feel."_

Kagome tentatively touched her face, not surprised to find that a few tears she had been withholding had escaped. "Inuyasha," she whispered, unable to hold back the downpour of tears that clouded her vision as they leaked out of her blurry eyes in a steady stream. He still loved her.

_"That's why you can't leave me. Please…give me another chance and I swear I won't fuck up again. I….I don't want to live without you. I can't live without you. Just come back to me."_ The curls of wind that conveyed his voice died down, leaving only his last words bouncing faintly off the enclosed walls of the tunnel.

_"Just come back to me." _

* * *

Watery golden eyes stared into her pale face expectantly, his heart sinking further and further into the pit of his stomach with the passing of each second as the realization of the situation sunk in. She wasn't going to come back, even after he had said his little eulogy. And why should she? He had caused her enough grief and anguish to last her a couple of lifetimes. '_She would be better off moving on_,' he mused sadly, though the notion of her moving on without him made his vital organs twist in agony.

"I guess this is good-bye then," he forced the words out of his mouth with a bitter smile, not bothering to wipe away the seemingly endless tears that rolled down his cheeks, his mind still refusing to accept the fact that she was gone forever. Ignoring the painful ache his chest, the hanyou caressed the delicate outline of her jawbone. "Be happy in the afterlife Kagome. You deserve it." Strengthening his resolve so that the sobs locked up within his chest would stay suppressed and not reveal exactly how much her death effected him, he slowly leaned down and pressed his lips against her blue owns tenderly in the last kiss they would ever share, assuming that she had already departed to the next world. So he was caught of guard when a spastic shudder suddenly convulsed through her body.

Yelping in surprise when her eyelids unexpectedly shot open, exposing the whites of her eyeballs, Inuyasha jumped back a distance away from her body, his pulse racing a mile a minute as he watched another violent tremor shook her tiny frame. "What the hell?"

Departing from this world is easy; coming back into it is another thing, as Kagome so painfully learned. She sucked air into her oxygen-deprived lungs; her blue orbs rolling back down to their original position within the center her eyeballs. Gripping the foliage and dirt next to her, Kagome braced herself as she struggled to inflate her deflated lungs with much needed oxygen. An acute pinch jolted her heart back into motion, which was consequently followed by a slow yet incessant thumping against her ribs.

Inuyasha snapped out of the stunned stupor that had befallen him when life began to seep back into her body and hurriedly went back to her side. He felt his stomach muscles tighten at her continual failure to inhale and exhale properly. It was as though she had forgotten how to breathe. "Come on Kagome. Breathe normally damnit," he said leaning over her with worried eye and an edge to his voice as he watched her face scrunch up with pain and exertion.

Her lungs burned. No matter how much she inhaled she just couldn't seem to rid herself of the burn sensation that engulfed her respiratory organs. It wouldn't go away. And that scared her. What if she wasn't able to control her breathing? What if her lungs combusted? What if she died again? These thoughts only served as catalysts in heightening her already sensitive state as she panicked. Another wave of spasms ripped through her body, further intensifying the malady she was experiencing with regulating her breathing.

Unable to bear watching her suffer, Inuyasha acted fast, for fear that she would leave him again. As gently as possible for a hanyou, Inuyasha lifted the squirming girl into his lap so that her chilled back pressed against his chest with her head resting on the crook of his neck. "Oi, listen to me wench," he ordered in her ear with one hand splayed across her stomach and the other holding her hips against his so that she stayed in place.

Kagome clenched her teeth, her nails embedding themselves into his thighs to restrain herself. It felt as if her lungs would explode in her chest. Tiny black dots speckled her vision as the world began to swim before her very eyes, tears beginning to gather in the corners.

"Kagome, I want you to follow the rhythm of my chest," he coaxed, both urgency and tenderness lacing his words, "when I inhale, I want you to inhale. When I exhale, I want you to do the same. Now concentrate and stop struggling. Just relax and focus on me and only me. Push through the pain."

Following his instructions, she strained to clear her mind of everything until the only thing she could sense was him and the steady rise and fall of his chest. Regulating her breathing to match his proved to be difficult in more ways than one and brought on another wave fresh wave of pain as her lungs constricted in her chest.

"Come on Kagome," he continued to coax softly, placing his chin on her shoulder and nuzzling her neck affectionately, "I know it hurts, but the pain end will end soon. A few more and we'll be done. Just focus."

But she had abandoned all thoughts of forcing herself to breathe, for something far more enticing had captured her attention. Her heartbeat sped up. She felt his warm breath trickle languidly along the sensitive area of her neck, sending involuntary shivers zipping across her bare flesh and warming her to the core. The subtle beating of his heart against her back dulled the burning sensation in her lungs until it faded completely. But she wasn't yet ready to give up the warmth of his touch so soon. There was something incomprehensibly enjoyable and right being encompassed in his strong hold.

Settling back against him, she sighed in blissful contentment and let her gaze fall to the arms that held her to him. Suddenly, what little color there was to her pallor cheeks darkened considerably in a dark red hue, her breath catching in her throat. "Inuyasha?"

"Yes?" His ears twitched as he heard her breathing even out, a slow grin uplifting the corners of his mouth when he smelled the change in her scent.

"Why are we naked?"

Biting his lip to restrain himself from erupting with laughter, Inuyasha controlled himself as best to his ability. "You had hypothermia. I had to get rid of all of your wet clothing so you could warm up quicker." He coughed to hide more snickers. "And skin to skin contact was more than necessary in this instance."

Kagome felt her face burning up with embarrassment and awkwardness at the compromising position they were in and presently realizing what she was currently sitting on top of. "I… well I'm better now, so…uh, we can…um…put some clothes back on," she fumbled to find the words, a deeper shade of red coloring her facial features.

"No, I don't think so." He tightened his hold around her and burrowed his nose in her hair, reassuring himself that she was really here, that she was alive, that he wasn't alone. Her fragrant scent no longer held the raw smell of death only subtle hints of illness. He would be eternally grateful for the deity that gave him a second chance with the girl in his arms. It still hurt him to his heart that she almost died. The utter fear and emptiness that engulfed his soul when he had thought she was dead was a feeling that he never wanted to experience again. He had never felt so powerless, so vulnerable in his life.

Sensing his shift in moods, Kagome tried to turn around in his lap to see what was going on with him, but whimpered upon finding that her cramped and stiff muscles wouldn't allow her to do so, the failed action sending dull pain thrumming throughout her system. Pushing the throbbing aches that encased her bones to the recesses of her mind, Kagome twisted around in his lap and was taken aback to see the intense, unfathomable emotions flashing through his eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly, lifting his face so that their gazes clashed. He stared at her with so much conviction and longing and an openness she had thought he was incapable of rendering, that it stirred something deep within the recesses of her being, a feeling that only he was able of bringing out in her.

Inuyasha sighed, leaning into her touch and allowing her wonderful scent to fill his nostrils. "I thought I had lost you for a minute," he admitted intently, entangling his claws in her long, raven locks and relished in the silky feel of it.

Kagome opened her mouth, then hesitated, half afraid of what he might say, that what happened in the tunnel with his heartfelt entreaty had all been a dream. But she had to know. The thought had been gnawing at her conscience ever since she returned to this world. "Inuyasha," she began timorously fiddling with the silvery locks of his hair, "did you mean all of those things you said, when I was unconscious and all?"

He blinked. "You heard all that?"

She nodded, then dropped her gaze to stare at his collarbone, unable to look him in the eyes. Maybe she was right. Who was she kidding? He had stopped loving her a long time ago.

Her heart skipped a beat when he tilted her head up with a hooked index finger. "Look at me Kagome." Biting her lip, she forced her eyes to look up to meet his and was shocked to see warmth and love shimmering in his golden depths. "I meant every word I said back there. No other female has ever meant so much to me like you do. I'm like putty in your hands, woman. I would do anything for you. It just took you almost dying on me to figure that out."

Kagome held her breath. Would he say it?

A smile quirked on his lips as she gazed at him in anticipation, knowing exactly what she was waiting for. "I love you wench. And if you forgive me for all the shit I did to you, all the humiliation, all of the embarrassment I put you through…if you give me a second chance, I'll prove to you that I'm worthy of your love." This time he was the one to lower his eyes, quickly sobering up to the fact that she might not forgive him. "I understand if you don't. I…I never meant to hurt you-"

Kagome shut him up by flinging her arms around his neck and crushing her lips to his. Sometimes he just talked entirely too much. Caught completely off guard by the force, Inuyasha fell back with her still on top of him, her feverish lips against his rousing his desire for her tenfold. Growling in pleasure, Inuyasha quickly took control of the kiss, shifting her so that he was on top. His claws gently raked in an agonizingly slow trail from her thigh up to her abdomen, sending tiny tremors of delight through her small frame and increasing the raging craving she had for him.

Kagome broke apart first, panting heavily from the soul searing kiss she had initiated, her cheeks flushed and her pulse racing. "Inuyasha," she breathed catching his just as flushed face with the palms of her hands, his molten pools of liquid gold darkened with hunger and love, "I forgive you, because I love you. I've never stopped. I couldn't, not even if I wanted to. You were my first love and even after we broke up, I still dreamt and thought about you. Memories of you prevailed over anything else…and they still do. All I want is you, and only you, if you would take me back."

"Do you even have to ask?" He stared lovingly down at the ethereal creature beneath him, his eyes roaming and marveling in the exquisiteness and creaminess of her luscious body.

Suddenly feeling self conscious under his gaze, Kagome quickly tried to cover up, but was stopped when the hanyou pinned her arms to her side. "Don't," he whispered huskily into her ear. "You are beautiful. You don't need to hide yourself from me." He licked and nipped at her lips before planting wet kisses down her chin to the curve of her neck, the heavy smell of her arousal sparking a desire, a need within him that he had waited four unbearable long years to take care of.

Blue eyes widened when something hard pressed into her thigh, sending a painfully urgent jolt into her lower stomach. A moan escaped through her throat as his tongue slowly caressed the shell of her ear, the warmth of his breath making goosebumps arise along her skin and she shivered in response. Her nails dug into his back as she unconsciously arched toward him. With her mind reeling from his kisses, his caresses, that wonderfully talented tongue of his, she disregarded the acute twinge of pain that ricocheted within her skull, which was then accompanied by the unexpected wave of dizziness and light headedness.

He stopped his ministrations upon sensing her current state of well-being and mentally cursed at himself. What the hell had he been thinking? Bridling the cataclysmic urge to just take her without consideration for anything else, Inuyasha gritted his teeth and pried himself off of her body, much to the displeasure of his inner demon, whom bucked and raged wild with fury at what he was doing, or rather, wasn't doing. The abrupt lack of warmth from contact with her leaving him cold and wanting. "We can't do this," he said gruffly to hide the agonizing pain he felt and pulled on his boxers and then his pants to conceal the telltale sign of his want for her. What he needed was a fucking cold shower.

With her chest heaving, Kagome tried to blink away the blurriness that obscured her vision and shakily sat up. "Why did you stop?" she asked breathily, confusion clouding her eyes as she watched him get dressed. Her heart sank as a thought dawned upon her. Here she was, being the innocent virgin girl who had only had two boyfriends and had yet to move past second base, when he had had a multitude of prettier, smarter, more experience women that she paled in comparison to. "Am I not good enough?" She tried to stifle the impulse to start crying.

Seeing the expression of self doubt and unworthiness on her face, Inuyasha immediately came to her side. Gathering her in his arms, he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Wench, you're more than good enough," he murmured reassuringly into her hair. "You're the only woman that can set my blood on fire for you. I haven't felt desire like this for any other person." The hanyou pulled back to look at her and smeared the stray tears from her eyes with the pads of his thumbs. "I love you Kagome. I wouldn't want anything more than to express to you here and now how much I crave your beautiful body, but not know. Not when you are still sick."

Kagome pouted. "Damn hypothermia." Life just wasn't fair.

"Don't I know it," Inuyasha groaned miserably.

Sighing regrettably, Kagome attempted to wiggle her way out of his grasp so she could put some clothes on, but the aftereffects of ignoring the stiffness of her muscles returned. She hissed in pain as the dreaded cramps returned with a vengeance, each one tightening and coiling around her muscles and bones with a fury.

"What's the matter?" Inuyasha asked, suddenly worried when she froze up. "Are you in pain? Where does it hurt?" His claws began to deftly roam her body in an attempt to alleviate any discomfort she might be experiencing.

"I'm cramping up." She tried to flex her arm but found that it stiffened even more.

Inuyasha blanched, mistaking her words for something else. "Uh,…um," he struggled awkwardly to find the right words. How the hell had she managed to come onto her cycle without him noticing? Maybe the scent of illness masked it. "Do you, uh, have any of the, uh…feminine things?"

She stared up at him quizzically. "Feminine things? What are you talking about?"

Gods, she was going to make him say it. His face darkened to a crimson hue. "The little pads or plugs."

Kagome looked at him blankly.

Inuyasha groaned in exasperation. "The crap you use when it's that time of the month."

Replaying their conversation over in her head, Kagome realized her mistake and began to laugh at him, finally fathoming why her hanyou was acting so embarrassed. "Inuyasha," she said between giggles, "I wasn't talking about those kind of cramps. I'm talking about the stiffness and soreness of my body."

He blushed. "Keh. I knew that."

Kagome glanced around the cozy cavern so she could locate her clothing. Her bikini lay a few feet away from her left, but there were no other signs of her other articles of clothing. "What happened to my shirt and pants?" she inquired turning to look at him.

He winced, his eyes flicking to the smoldering cinders of what was left of the fire.

The nerve in her temple twitched when she saw what he was looking at. "You burned my clothes and my bag?"

Inuyasha offered her a wan smile. "We didn't have anymore wood and there wasn't anything else on the island that was dry. Besides, it served its purpose. You are alive and well are you not?"

"I guess so. But what else am I supposed wear?"

A devilish grin stole across his features as his eyes wandered down her naked form. "You know, we are the only ones on this islands. I think we should just walk around in our birthday suits. It would be a hell of a lot more convenient and you wouldn't have to wash clothes anymore…" Seeing the look of righteous anger cross her features, he gulped and decided to stop there. "How about I just help you put on your bikini?"

"That would be a start."

After carefully helping her put her bikini top and bottom on, making sure he didn't disturb her aching muscles and joints, Inuyasha backed up against the wall of the cave and settled down on the floor with her in his lap. Sweeping away her bangs, he touched her forehead to find it still chilly, yet not as cold as it had been before she blacked out. He sighed in relief. So she was getting better.

"Inuyasha, I feel like crap," Kagome mumbled burying her head in his chest to get away from the dizziness that made her stomach turn.

"Yeah, and you look like it too." He chuckled when she half-heartedly slapped arm. "Go to sleep. You're still recovering from hypothermia. You'll probably be fine by morning."

She mumbled something incoherent before sinking into a deep sleep, entrusting her safety and care to that of her husband.

An intense awareness of complete serenity and peace settled over Inuyasha's soul. She was finally his again. It had taken him a while to get back to her, and he would make damn sure she didn't disappear from his life a second time. Smiling into her neck, he closed his eyes and for the first time in a long while completely surrendered into the darkness that had overtaken his lover only moments ago, the ears atop his head remaining vigil throughout the rest of what was left of the night.

End

* * *

**AN**: There no cliffy. I hope you all are happy. :P Forgive me for the mistakes and stuff in this chappie since my eyes are burning and itching and blurry. I think I'll go put in my medicine. Revisions will be made later on. And just in case you're confused about that bit where Kagome was in a tunnel, think of it as the halfway point between living and dying. In this case, she chose to go back instead of going into the light where the afterlife would be awaiting for her. She wasn't yet ready to die. How sweet. She chose to stay with Inuyasha rather than die.

Ok, and one more thing. I will not be writing any lemons, but there will be some lime so be prepared. I'm trying to keep this as clean as possible being the good girl that I am and all.

Review and tell me what you think because I love and cherish all of your feedback.

Ciao for now people!

-**_J. Catseye_**


	16. The Rescue

**Disclaimer**: If I owned Inuyasha, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, but swimming in money and living large.

**AN**: This update didn't take long at all now that I'm all better. Thanks to everybody who voiced their opinions about pink eye. I hate it and hope I never get it again. Since some people are concerned over the length of this story, I will restate what I previously said in one of the other chapters. This baby has 9 more chapters left, excluding this chapter, so rest assure that there will be more to come with twists that will blow your brain. Special thanks to **Footballchik21** for pointing out in the last chapter the fact that Kagome recovered entirely too quickly after being hypothermic. I had to go back and change a few bits and pieces in the end, but it's still relatively the same. Thank you girl!

Big thanks to **Kimmie**, who has agreed to beta my chapters so they won't lack so much in the grammar area. Unfortunately since I'm visiting the grandparents for a couple of weeks and their computer is from the Stone Age, they won't be beta-ed until I go home. She's such a sweety.

Thank you my loyal reviewers for all the wonderful feedback that's been flooding my inbox. I feel so appreciated. So appreciated that I'm already working on the next chapter and have part of it done. Its all for you guys and all of the effort you put into clicking that one little button and telling me you love the story. If only I had enough time to thank you each individually. :(

**Blizzard-shadow-venus**: Oh I wouldn't dare abandon this story…yet. I at least want to get to the good stuff before moving on to bigger and better things…just kidding. :) I wouldn't dream of leaving all you guys out there in suspense forever. Thanks for the review!

**Sweet little country girl**: Thanks for all the love!!! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :)

**Sailor-scribe**: ::gasps:: Wow. We've got a celebrity in the house. ::rolls out red carpet:: Thanks for reviewing. Have I mentioned that I love your stories? And about inu finding that box of condoms…lol…that would be really funny. Maybe when if I write the bloopers I'll incorporate that scene. -

**Gopher2806**: All of the questions you've just asked will all be answered in the next chapter so stay tuned and thanks for reviewing.

**Kagome59: **Aww, I'm sorry your dog died. Since I never had one I don't know what you're going through, but hopefully this chapter will provide you with some sense of happiness. I'm glad that I'm able to help in any way.

* * *

The Rescue

* * *

Higurashi Ryo stared unseeingly down the extensive table as one of the company's most valued employees babbled incessantly about something that was probably important and likely to deal with the financial disarray that Higurashi Takeda Corporations was currently undergoing, but his mind was anywhere but the presentation. The safety of his daughter and son-in-law weighed heavily on his already burdened mind. It wasn't as though he doubted Inuyasha's ability to protect his daughter, but rather their ability to communicate and coincide with each other, as a couple should. How in the world were they supposed to survive on their own if they fought like cats and dogs…if they were alive at all?

Ryo inwardly sighed. His seemingly endless mound of dilemmas were beginning to stack one on top of the other in a continuous cylce of migraines and stress. The blue-eyed man used his forefinger and thumb to massage the bridge of his nose an effort to assuage the effect all the stress in his life was having on his pressured sinuses.

The events that were occurring now and in the last couple of months were taking their toll on him mentally and physically. His usually maintained apparel that consisted of sharp, expensive clothing that conveyed his debonair taste was oddly lacking nowadays in neatness and thought. His typical clean-cut face possessed a haggard raggedness to it with stubble and tousled hair that spoke volumes about his rapidly depreciating existence.

But he didn't care. He had stopped giving a damn some time ago. The empire he had so carefully constructed was slowly crumbling in front of his eyes, and there was precious little he could do about it.

A sudden nudge to his arm jarred him from his depressing thoughts, making Ryo notice that the attention in the room had been diverted to him. "I'm sorry can you repeat that?" he inquired, mentally berating himself for his inability to focus.

"Well," Inutaisho interceded so that the entire presentation wouldn't have to be reiterated, his sharp gaze fixed on the young man at the other end of the table, "what Senkeko-san here was saying is that his team is in the process of developing a prototype of a three dimensional hologram that could easily revolutionize the way we utilize computers and accessing information via the Internet. It's an absolutely brilliant idea and it will no doubt be a seller on the market, but the problem is our lack of time. Would your team be able to create and perfect this product in less than a month?"

The young brown haired man shifted nervously beneath the penetrating stare of the taiyoukai and the expectant gazes of the members of the board. "Well sir, we would have to factor out the probability-"

"We don't need to hear about probabilities and calculations," Ryo cut him off abruptly. "We need to know, with a definite yes or a no, if your team can complete the said task in the set time."

After a moment's deliberation, Senkeko nodded to affirm his answer. "We'll try."

"Don't try. Do." Inutaisho growled in irritation when he felt his mobile begin to vibrate from the inner regions of his pocket. Both annoyance and the present meeting were completely forgotten when he took a look at the caller id. "Did you find them?" he barked hastily into the phone.

"Hello to you too, Takeda-sama," Myouga greeted, his words laced with cynicism.

"Don't be cute with me old man, I don't have time for your shit."

"Have you ever considered anger management as a means to curb your disturbingly hostile personality disorder?" the detective deliberately baited the already tense inuyoukai.

The vein in Inutaisho's neck bulged angrily as a streak of red flashed through his golden retinas. "Listen here you wrinkly little bastard, when I sink my claws into you-"

Ryo smartly snatched the mobile away from his red-faced partner before things got out of hand. "Myouga-san, did you find them?"

"Yes and no," his tone immediately switching to seriousness now that he was speaking to someone with a level head, unlike the hot headed taiyoukai who irritated the piss out of him. "So far we've been trying to contact all the private air strips in the area, including your own, to see if there were any flights booked for the same day that your kids were scheduled to take off. And earlier this morning after talking with various personnel from a couple within a fifty mile radius of Tokyo, we narrowed it down one specific trip near the marina."

"And?" Ryo questioned tersely, waving off a pissed inuyoukai who was demanding the phone back.

"Upon arriving at the air strip and going through routine protocol, where we basically question the employees, check the books and so on, my detective and I found that one of the registered private jets turned up missing. Apparently it supposedly crashed and yet nobody failed to report it. After further investigation we found an abandoned and completely demolished limousine not too far away from strip. The license plate matched the limousine of your dead chauffeur we located in the ravine a week ago."

All of the color drained from Ryo's face. He tightened his grip on the mobile and tried to slow down the rapid beating of his heart. "So you saying that they're dead?"

"That much is unclear to us at this moment. We've detained the two pilots that were supposed to have been piloting the jet your children were on."

"Wait, wait, wait," he stopped the detective before he could continue. "If they didn't fly the plane, then where-"

"If you would let me continue," Myouga interposed, his voice betraying his near exasperation with both family's impatience. "Although the main pilot, isn't talking, we've managed to crack the copilot. He's revealed to us that they were hired by an anonymous individual to carry out the execution of the young Takedas via automatic plane that was programmed to shut down after reaching a certain distance."

Ryo felt his chest tighten considerably. "What is the chance that Kagome and Inuyasha are still living?"

"That all depends on the location that the plane shut down. There are a few small, uncharted islands en route to Hawaii. I have a search and rescue team combing the area now, but you must remember that my men have a lot of ground, err, ocean to cover and the kids might already be dead."

An emotion akin to relief spread throughout his body at the fact that there was still a chance that they might be alive. It was better than having no idea of where they were at all. "Thank you Myouga-san, for all of your hard work."

"Nothing my precinct can't handle," the detective remarked with a hint of pride. "I'll get back to you as soon as I have located their whereabouts."

"It's about damn time," Inutaisho grumbled once done eavesdropping while Ryo said his farewell, his eyes glimmering with relief. So cops weren't as stupid as he pegged them to be.

"This meeting is officially adjourned." Ryo hurriedly came to his feet and gathered the papers in front of him. He wanted to get home and tell his wife the good news as soon as possible. "Alpha team, I wish you the best of luck with your project and hope you do succeed. This company needs a boost to get us back on our feet. Good luck." And without further ado, he swiftly exited the conference room.

* * *

Ryo-san had called a few hours ago with the news that there was some minuscule hope that Kagome and Inuyasha were alive if not well, but that did nothing to pacify the aching pang of somberness that echoed continuously in Ayame's heart. She felt like crap. She looked like crap. All in all, her life had reached a new low. And it was all thanks to Kagome.

She knew she shouldn't be thinking ill will towards her friend, and she wasn't, but it was the honest to God truth. It was Kagome's fault that she and Kouga were no longer on speaking terms; that her life long dream of having him love her the same way he loved her best friend was only a fantasy that would never become an actuality. Hell, she stole him from her in the first place. It was Kagome's fault she had cried day and night for the past week because she thought her best friend had perished off the face of the planet.

Ayame groaned and slammed her head into the balcony rail repeatedly to extract the negative thoughts from her head. This was Kagome she was thinking about. Not some manipulative, conniving bitch. She was the sweetest, kindest, most compassionate person Ayame had ever met. How could she think that it was Kagome's fault that her life was so messed up right now?

She stopped rapping her head on the railing and contented herself with staring out into the distance, the balcony providing a breathtaking view of the front of the manor. From the azalea bushes that outlined the base of the house to the sakura trees that were cleverly planted so they traced the perimeter of the driveway in a welcoming kind of manner to all those entered and exited the gravel outlet. Ayame let out a slow sigh, her green eyes straying to the human gardener who was currently cutting the lush green grass of the property with his lawn mower.

The scent of vanilla and strawberries drifted into her nostrils, alerting her of the presence of another on the balcony besides her. "Hi Sango."

The taijiya came up next to her friend and leaned against the railing, her head cocked to the side in a questioning manner. "Hey Ayame. You aren't still depressed are you? Didn't you hear what Ryo-san said? It's only a matter of time until they're found and brought home."

"I'm not depressed," the wolf youkai argued feebly.

Sango arched a brow. "This isn't about Kouga is it?"

"No," she mumbled half-heartedly, her eyes still averted from her friend's inquiring ones.

"Then what is wrong?" she frowned. "You haven't been yourself lately, though I can understand with Kagome and Inuyasha's disappearance. But that doesn't explain why you're always secluding yourself from the rest of us. We don't talk as much anymore and whenever I do try to initiate a conversation you always give me those one worded answers."

Ayame shrugged noncommittally, not really interested at all in what her friend was trying to say. Her mind was elsewhere at the moment.

Sango growled in frustration, throwing her hands up in aggravation. "I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong Ayame."

Anger flared in her green orbs for a second as the wolf youkai finally turned her attention to the taijiya. "Why do you suddenly want to know what's going on in my life now? Why don't you go talk to that lecher of a boyfriend of yours since that's who you're with all the time anyway."

An expression of enlightenment dawned upon Sango's face, her mouth curving into an 'o' as she finally realized part of the reason behind her sullen behavior. "This is about me having a boyfriend and you not having one isn't it?"

Ayame gaze favored the floor instead of meeting the intense brown orbs of her friend. "I don't know. I just feel…alone right now," she said softly.

Sango didn't say anything, but waited patiently until she was ready to speak again.

A ghost of a smile flitted across the wolf youkai's features. "You know, things were so much simpler back when we were pups. No responsibilities, no problems, no heartache…just us having pure, undiluted fun without the added complexity that comes with age. Remember the time when the three of us were nine and that bully…what was his name?"

"Bankotsu."

"He kept bothering us in school and you and Kagome wouldn't let me beat him up because I would get expelled. So we decided to get him back for all the crap he put us through," she laughed hollowly at what happened next. "One day during lunch, Kagome distracted him while you and I put laxatives into his soda and dead worms in his sandwich. Not an appetizing combination."

Sango chuckled at the memory. "The teachers called an ambulance because they thought he had food poisoning. Then they made him take all of those tests to make sure nothing was wrong with him. He stayed in the hospital for three days."

"Yeah. Never did see him after it happened." Her smile faded. "Those were the good days. Now that we're older and husbands and boyfriends take away all the time we used to spend with each other. It just seems like we're all growing apart."

"Oh Ayame." Sango wrapped a comforting arm around her friend's shoulders and smiled at her in assurance. "We aren't growing apart, just growing up. No matter how many boyfriends or husbands come into our lives, we'll always remain friends. No guy can ever come between the bond that we three share."

Anger suddenly bloomed within the wolf youkai as she digested the latter of what was just said. Ayame shrugged Sango's arms off of her and glared at her. "It's a little too late for that isn't it?"

The taijiya opened her mouth to say something only to be silenced by Ayame's finger. "It's ok Sango. I don't have a problem being alone. Although wolves are meant to be a part of a pack, they also have a natural instinct to survive on their own. That is simply what I'm doing in this case. Kagome has Inuyasha. You have Miroku. Shippou has Kirara." She pointed to the kitsune who was dancing gleefully around the yard with the neko youkai at his heels, happy that Kagome was still alive and wanting to share his mirth with the world.

"And I…" she trailed off with a wistful smile. "I have no one. Kouga should be mine, but we both know that will never be happening. He has already given his heart to another."

For once, Sango was at a lost for words, partly because she knew that what her youkai friend had said was somewhat true. Where was Kagome when you needed her? She was better with the advice giving than her. "Ayame," she began slowly, searching for the right words to convey what she felt the girl needed to hear and hoping she didn't screw up, "The only reason Kouga is in love with Kagome is because he thinks the feeling is mutual. I'm sure that once she comes back and straightens out-"

"And what happens if she doesn't come back?" Ayame snapped, her fangs beginning to emerge from their depths in a very hostile manner. "What if she's dead? Kouga is already acting like some obsessed lover searching every inch of Hawaii in hopes that he'll find her right now! Just think how he'll react if he catches wind that Kagome's dead body has been found! How am I supposed to compete with the dead woman who has departed to the afterlife with his heart? Not that it will be any different than if she was alive-!"

Ayame was cut short by the stinging slap that was delivered to the side of her face. All coherencies fled her mind when numbness of shock that her best friend had just slapped her wore off as the biting pain registered in her mind. She lifted her gaze from the side of the house to meet the teary, yet angry brown eyes of the taijiya.

"Is this what you were saying about guys coming between our bond of friendship?" Sango inquired with cold harshness. "Because you've just proven that theory true. How could you be so selfish Ayame? Kagome could be hanging on by a thread floating on a piece of driftwood out in the middle of the sea somewhere and all you can think about is your own covetous desires. And Kouga? How dare you say he is acting like an obsessed lover? He is just as concerned about the well being both Kagome and Inuyasha as we are. I'm only disappointed that I can't be there with him to help on the search."

Ayame felt tears pool in her eyes. Gods, Sango was right. She was acting greedy and covetous while Kagome could be dying out in the ocean somewhere. Guilt gnawed at her soul for thinking that Kouga's intentions were anything but honest. The salty liquid began to make wet trails down her cheeks. "Sango, I'm…" She looked up to find that the taijiya had already started retreating back to the interior of the house.

"I'm sorry," she whispered in a cracked voice and let the burning tears overflow, not bothering to wipe them away as if they could provide some kind of purification for her heinous feelings and words.

* * *

It had always been a frequent dream of his, even after they weren't together. It was the perfect scenario; one that portrayed love, trust, and complete serenity. Ever since the budding affection he felt towards Kagome in the beginning had blossomed into full blown love, he had always envisioned waking up after a passionate night of love making with her lithe, naked body entangled with his own. So it was only natural for Inuyasha to pinch his arm to assure himself that the ethereal beauty lying vulnerably in his arms was very much real, that it wasn't another one of his fantasies gone overboard.

Granted they hadn't made love, but it was the simple action of holding her in his arms that brought Inuyasha overwhelming satisfaction and belonging. A lazy smile curved on his lips as he recalled the events that had occurred the night before. She had come back to him from the beyond, had forgave him for all the stupid shit he had done, that they had done to each other, and had admitted her unrequited love to him.

The past four years of his life had been miserable without Kagome in his life, though he wouldn't openly admit it to himself or anybody else for that matter. To drown out the haunting memories of her that constantly replayed them over and over in his mind and drove him to the brink of insanity, he had immersed himself in a world where innocence was unheard of, a place where thoughts of Kagome would be overpowered by the villainess, the loudness, the overall wickedness of it all. With the wild parties, the even wilder friends, and the women galore whose sole purpose was wiping away the lingering memories and thoughts of the love that had walked out of his life, he had been too busy having fun to think about her and what they had once shared.

But even that hadn't erased the plaguing sense of emptiness that engulfed his soul. And it had taken him the latter portion of his life to figure out that the reason that nothing could fill the void that enveloped his entire being was because she wasn't in his life. He hadn't been living up until now, only existing. She had filled a part of him that was left wanting and bare when they separated. He had missed her warmth, her smile, her optimism, her kisses, her caresses…her love. And when she left, she took a part of him with her, the part that was needed so that his soul would be whole.

Inuyasha stared adoringly down at the creature nestled comfortable in his lap, her head resting contentedly over his heart, one hand splayed delicately across his chest, the other snaked around his lower torso, her tantalizing scent wrapping around him in a none too subtle way that sent his mind reeling. His facial features softened as he swept the soft mass of wavy, ebony locks that were fanned out on his chest away so that he could attain a better view of her lovely face. '_Gods she is beautiful_.' She was the epitome of peacefulness, her lips drawn so they curled in a cat like smile.

"I love you bitch," Inuyasha whispered into her ear, his lips elusively brushing against the sweep of her neck lovingly.

Her eyelashes fluttered lackadaisically before slowly opening, revealing a pair of sleep laden blue eyes, in which immediately shifted to surprise as her mind gradually began to revert back to its normal state of functioning. "Umm, Inuyasha?" she inquired, her voice laced with confusion and uncertainty, her eyes darting to the wall of the cave to the provisional door where rays of sunlight streamed in through the thicket.

A flash of fear flicked through his honeyed colored orbs. What if she didn't remember? Had everything they went through, all the trials and tribulations that they had encountered and overcome with flying colors been in vain? Did she even remember their professions of love to one another? He swallowed the enlarged lump in his esophagus, inwardly praying that that wasn't the case. "Yes?" he countered, unable to keep the hesitancy and tinge of dread out of his voice.

Kagome stared up at him for a moment, a look of utter bewilderment gracing her features. "Inuyasha…why…" She trailed off, then, incapable of holding back the fit of giggles that had bunched inside of her chest at his pitiful façade, erupted into full-fledged laughter.

Inuyasha gaped at her in bewilderment. Had the hypothermia drove her to insanity? "Uh, Kagome?" he questioned, unsure of how to exactly to approach the mentally deranged. He once had an uncle who was had been dubbed clinically insane, but then, who wouldn't be driven to insanity with a paranoid, domineering mate that threatened to cut off his balls every time she thought he was cheating on her.

Too caught up in the hilarity of the prank, Kagome ignored his inquiry and continued to laugh, the muscles in her stomach clenching at the exertion.

The hanyou's ears twitched, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Why did get the distinct feeling that he had been set up? "Oi bitch. That wasn't fucking funny," he growled half-heartedly, his anger curbed by the melody of her angelic voice.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha," she gasped for air as the giggles subsided, a goofy smile adorning her face, "but the opportunity presents itself and I had to take it. You're such a sucker."

Inuyasha pouted and looked away from her with mock hurt, his ears dropping for effect.

"You're so adorable when you're pouting," Kagome remarked softly, retracting her arm from his torso so she could tweak his ear, but winced in pain when a dull aching came with the action. Blue eyes flashed with discomfort upon finding that she couldn't move one any part of her body without the accompanying pain.

"What's wrong?" His attention immediately snapped back to her, his brows creased in worry and concern.

Kagome tried to extract herself from his lap, but her limbs refused to cooperate. "My body is still stiff and achy from last night," she ground out struggling to force her body to bend to her will.

"Stop stressing your body wench," he scolded lightly tightening his grasp on her. "You're a recovering hypothermic. Your body needs time to recuperate from being frozen and cold. Hell woman, you almost died. You need to take it slow and easy today; no over exertion with any strenuous activities."

"You sound like my father," Kagome grumbled sticking her tongue out at him. At least she could do that without pain. She squeaked when he captured her tongue with his mouth and began sucking gently on the organ, the gentle scraping of his fangs along the exposed piece of flesh sending jolts of pleasure through her system. Instantly melting into his firm embrace and succumbing to the oral worship, Kagome felt her blood heat and her pulse race when he stopped sucking on her tongue, his mouth closing over hers entirely in a heated kiss that made her toes curl. She didn't know where he learned to kiss but she silently thanked the gods for blessing her with such a talented hanyou.

"Inuyasha," she gasped for breath, her face flushed with warmth and rising desire, a teasing grin stealing across her features. "What about me not exerting myself with strenuous activities?"

He groaned in dismay, his own words turned against him. "You don't think we could make an exception?"

"Silly hanyou," she taunted, ignoring the cramp in her neck, Kagome leaned up to kiss the tip of his nose. "We have all the time in the world for…that." The faint color of pink colored her cheeks at the suggestive innuendo she had just put forth. '_I guess that's what I get for spending a week on a secluded island with the king of playboys_.'

Inuyasha felt his heart melt at the sight of her innocence and knew from that moment on that she was the one for him. "You are so adorable when you blush," he murmured with a half smile as he placed a chaste kiss on the side of her forehead, his fingers instinctively intertwining with hers in a display of complete unity.

Kagome felt her breath catch in her throat as her sparkling blue oceans clashed with his piercing sun lit irises as he stared into her soul. Is this was love really felt like? Did love really make you feel as if you were on a constant high just from being around the one you loved; that you could practically drown in their scent? Did love make the butterflies in your stomach procreate at the speed of light with slightest of touches? Was the electricity that galvanized her skin when their bodies were pressed together a result of love?

And then it all made perfect sense. He was the reason why her relationship with Kouga could never progress further than friendship. He was reason why she had felt an inexplicable incompleteness until now. He was like the missing link to the consummation of her soul, a perfect match for her. Like any mortal, Inuyasha had his faults. He was an ass at times, rude, obnoxious, arrogant, stubborn, and too proud for his own good, but she wouldn't change a thing about him.

"Inuyasha." She forced her aching limbs to comply and cup his face with her hands, her eyes never leaving his. "For the first time in a week, I'm actually glad that we crashed on this island."

"Because it's the perfect make out haven?" he smirked.

Kagome rolled her eyes, the smile staying intact. "No stupid. Because," she began, her fingers tracing the contours of his strong jawline, " if we hadn't came here, we never would have worked things out between us. We would've remained angry and frustrated and hated each other for the rest of our lives without ever knowing the real cause behind it all."

"I know," he admitted softly, his claws relishing in the feel of her silken tresses. "Remind me to thank the genius that concocted this harebrained scheme if we ever get off this island."

"What if we never get rescued?"

"Then would you mind living out the rest of your days in paradise with me?" he asked, amber eyes serious.

"I wouldn't mind living with the hanyou I love on this island for the rest of my life," she smiled up at him affectionately.

Inuyasha felt his heart soar at the declaration. She loved him. And that was all that mattered to him. He brought his nose to her cheek and nuzzled her skin. "I love you Kagome."

His words made each and every one of the limbs in her body melt into a boneless heap. "I love you too, Inuyasha." Her heartbeat thudded against her ribcage insistently as his lips grazed the skin on cheek before rising above her lips, hovering for a few agonizing seconds that tried the extent of her already dwindling patience. The subtle caress of his warm breath on her lips was driving her nuts, her own breath quickening with anticipation.

Finally deciding that she had had enough torture, Inuyasha inwardly grinned and he bent down to relieve her lips of their suffering when the loud, incessant rumbling of her stomach abruptly shattered the mood. He chuckled at her beet red face. "Hungry?"

"Starving," she mumbled with a shy smile though mentally cursed her appetite for interrupting the tender moment.

As if sensing her distress, Inuyasha placed a brief kiss on her heated lips so he wouldn't lose total control. "How about fish?" he offered.

Kagome groaned. "I'm sick of fish. We had fish yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that."

"Ok, rabbit? Boar? Pig? Coconut? Berries?"

"I miss my banana nut muffins," she complained with a hearty sigh. Gods, what she wouldn't give for one muffin, even if it were a crumb. She could work with a crumb.

Stifling the urge to laugh at her, Inuyasha nestled his face in betwixt her chin and neck. "How about we skip breakfast entirely," he suggested nipping lazily at the tender skin, unable to satisfy the insatiable taste he had for her delicious body. "We could improvise."

Kagome's eyes widened slightly as one of his hands wandered south of the border, settling lightly on her inner thigh. "What about my condition?" She gasped when his claws began massaging the area below her hip in a very sensual manner that had heat pooling in her lower abdomen in response.

"I'm sure we can work around it. In fact, you won't have to lift a finger." The scent of her increasing arousal had his own piquing to innumerable heights. Powerless to contain his desire for her body any longer, the hanyou quickly laid her on the ground and settled on top of her carefully so he wouldn't crush her with his weight. "We could pretend that we're having breakfast in bed."

The sheer wickedness of the grin he cast at her and the darkening of his retinas in a haze of hunger ignited a surging fire within Kagome's veins. She could hear her heart thumping loudly in her ears as he slid down her body so that his head loomed dangerously close to her belly button. "And instead of eating on plates with utensils, we could eat off of each other." A devilish glint alighted his golden orbs as his tongue dipped into the curve of her navel, eliciting a moan of pleasure from his wife. "I'd much rather have you to eat than food any day," he confessed and licked the area around her navel, his eyes never leaving the pleasure laden blue eyes that enraptured his soul.

Kagome gasped for air, his oh so talented tongue sending shockwaves of electricity and hedonistic rapture coursing through her body with every flick, every stroke, every brush against her stomach. "I-I-I-nu-yasha!" her voice trembled belying wanton cravings as his wet organ continued an upward path to her bikini top.

"Your skin tastes more delectable, more exquisite than any kind of food that I have ever encountered in my life," he whispered as his hands worked to unfasten her bra.

"More than Ramen?" she managed to say in between breaths.

Golden eyes laughed as he swiveled his tongue seductively along the expanse of her abdomen. "So much more and then some." His hands stopped working the clasp, the ears atop his head rotating and twitching in the direction of the entrance of the cave.

"What is it?" Kagome asked worriedly when his activities discontinued.

A low growl rumbled in his chest, his eyes hardening with anger and irritation. "We have company." Prying himself from her body, Inuyasha came to his feet and walked over to the doorway. With one swipe of his claws, he demolished the branches and bushes that obstructed his path.

Kagome struggled to stand, refraining from noticing the instant protest of her rigid muscles and limbs. If he wasn't going to tell her what was going on she would find out for herself. Kagome yelped when the acute twinge of a charley horse in her leg caught her off guard, consequently causing her to lose her equilibrium and would have landed on her posterior had not her husband swept her up in his arms bridal style.

"Damnit bitch, what did I tell you about over exerting yourself?" he chastised, a steely edge to his voice that she couldn't quite decipher if it had been meant towards her or something else.

"Inuyasha tell me what's wrong," she demanded, annoyed that he was leaving her in the dark.

The muscle in his jaw twitched slightly but he adhered to her wish without dissent. Rather than tell her what ailed him, the hanyou opted to show her. With Kagome resting in his arms, Inuyasha walked outside and headed toward the beach.

She squealed in excitement when she saw the approaching plane. So she was going to have that banana nut muffin after all. "Yay! We're finally going home." Kagome planted a juicy kiss on the side of his neck and frowned in confusion when he didn't respond, his hardened gaze remaining as it was. "What's wrong Inuyasha? I thought you'd be happy that we were going home."

He gave an evasive shrug and set her down on the sand before walking over the sizable accumulation of branches and wood he had constructed just in case a plane happened to fly near the island. Taking out the last of the matches, Inuyasha struck it against the book and tossed it into the firewood. Not bothering to watch the flames come to life in effect, he treaded back over to where Kagome sat and plopped down next to her, assuming his usual Indian style sitting position.

Kagome observed his guarded expression with concern. Scooting closing to him with some level of difficulty, she placed a hesitant hand on his arm and leaned over to peer into his heedful amber eyes. "Inuyasha, tell me, why the sudden change of attitude? Do you not want to leave the island?"

"Keh. I don't care either way."

Kagome wished she had the capability to pick up the rock that rested next to her hand so she could use it to bash some sense into his thick cranium. "Inuyasha," she growled in a warning tone, her anger spiking at his evasive demeanor. "If you really love me and want us to have a fresh start, then we need to have some communication or else it's no different than when we had all of those misconceptions about each other."

Hating the fact that she was right, he sighed and dropped the apathetic façade, allowing her to really see what was bothering him. He didn't want to admit it, but some part of him was afraid of what awaited them back in Tokyo. '_What if things reverted back to how they were before we came here? What if we somehow forgot about what took place here on the island and all of things that were said? What if-,_' the mental thought was left incomplete when he felt her head come to rest on his chest, her arm snaking around his waist.

"Inuyasha, I will never forget what happened here. How could I? All the events that took place lead up to you coming back to me. I love you Inuyasha. Nothing will ever change the way I feel about you. Nothing can come between us." Kagome smiled when his expression of insecurity faded.

His gilded eyes connected with hers as the rest of the world ebbed away into nothingness, his attention solely focused on her and only her. "Kagome," he murmured, raising a clawed hand to stroke the side of her face gently so as not to cut her, "you truly are a godsend to me."

And from that moment on, they knew everything was going to be all right.

End. (for now of course)

* * *

**AN: **Mushy stuff. Don't you just love it? Now tell me what you think. Hugs and kisses ppl, Ciao!

J.Catseye


	17. The Homecoming

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but the plotline.

**AN**: Sorry for the long wait, but hey, better late than never eh? My great uncle died Friday and his funeral is in a couple of days so we're all preparing for that. At least he isn't suffering in the hospital anymore. As always big thanks to Kimmie for beta-ing this chapter for me. She's such a sweetheart. And also big thanks to all of my reviewers who take time out of their busy day to comment on my story, which has been nominated for best drama in the Protégé Awards. ::giggles:: I never thought this story would win anything, but miracles do happen ever so often. Enough with my babbling and on with the show.

Special thanks to **PreciousRin**, **Divine-Red-Crayon**, **Moshi-Mo**, and especially **Jaded**-**Shrew** for leaving extra long reviews. ::hands winners Inuyasha plushies:: Gotta love the love. :)

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The Homecoming

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Hitomi ran ahead of her husband through the automatic doors of the hospital that their daughter and son-in-law had been transported to as of ten minutes ago. After Myouga called and informed her that Kagome and Inuyasha had been found stranded on an island and had been taken to Tokyo General Hospital for medical attention, she had grabbed Ryo, threw him into a car, and had violated over twenty driving regulations in order to get there.

"Excuse me," she said briskly to the nurse at the front desk, while her out of shape husband panted heavily behind her, "do you know where I can find Inuyasha and Kagome Takeda? They arrived here a couple of minutes ago."

"If you're talking about a loud, obnoxious hanyou with long, white hair that made a racket about the male paramedics touching his wench while they were assessing the extent of her condition, then they're on the third floor," the nurse replied, a glint of irritation flicking through her eyes at his name.

"What do you mean her condition?" Ryo questioned, finally done with recovering from the exhilarating romp through the hospital parking lot.

"The girl, Kagome, had suffered a severe case of hypothermia. But she is out of the red and receiving treatment now," she added hastily when the color drained from their faces.

"Thank you." Hitomi bowed respectively, then grabbed hold of her husband and rushed towards the elevator. She pressed the up button on the wall and tapped her foot impatiently as the numbers slowly decreased from six. "We don't have time for this. Come on Ryo, we're taking the stairs."

Ryo took her by the wrist before she had a chance to take his and run off again. "Wait sweetheart," the man pleaded, not ready to run another marathon, "let's not be too hasty. Look, the elevator is at three."

"Stop wasting time. You could use the exercise. You're getting a little pudgy around the midsection anyway."

"I am not!" he cried indignantly, taking a second to look down to reassure his bruised ego, consequently giving his wife the opportunity she was looking for.

Twisting out of his loose grasp, Hitomi sprinted to the stairwell, wretched the door open and bounded up the steps by twos, her male counterpart lagging slowly behind her. It took Hitomi no time at all to locate the nurse's station on the floor. "Where's Kagome Takeda?" she fired at the first nurse she saw.

Clearly unnerved by the frightening appearance and authoritative aura that surrounded the tiny woman, the girl pointed to the door next to a water fountain. "I-in 351."

Nodding curtly, Hitomi glanced at her husband, who had just came out of the stairwell, his chest heaving as he tried to regain his breath. "Would you hurry up Ryo?" Without waiting for a response, the determined woman pressed on and in six quick strides was at the door. Taking a calming breath to prepare herself for whatever awaited her on the other side, Hitomi gently opened the door to find a doctor and a couple of nurses hovering above the bed where her daughter lay, lying motionless with her eyes closed as the doctor injected her with a needle.

Threatening growls from the other side of the room made her attention shift to the hanyou sitting rigidly in a chair across from the bed where Kagome lay, his knuckles white as he clenched the armrests of the seat, his narrowed gaze fixed intently on the doctor working on her daughter, his throaty growls increasing in tempo every time the man's hands came into contact with her skin. Now what was wrong with this picture?

"Hello Hitomi-san," Inuyasha said gruffly, his eyes never straying from the bedside. "Long time no see."

Before she got a chance to reply, Ryo stumbled in, closely followed by Inutaisho and Megumi. "There they are," the taiyoukai smirked at his wife. "I told you they were fine."

"And we're all done here." The doctor signaled for the nurses to leave while he pulled out the needle from her skin once the fluid had emptied from the cylinder.

"About fucking time, Matsumoto," Inuyasha glared at him, pure hatred flashing within his golden orbs, solely directed to the one who had touched what was his.

"Inuyasha!" Megumi exclaimed incredulously, thoroughly appalled by her son's language and rudeness. "Watch your mouth before I wash it out with soap. Apologize at once."

"No, no, it's quite all right," the mirthful, brown-eyed man chuckled in amusement. "No apology necessary. I've dealt with enough possessive inuyoukai to know that their inherent instinct to protect their mates from other males comes with the territory." Smiling innocently, Matsumoto held up his hands to Inuyasha to concede he meant no harm and backed away to the doorway where baffled parents stood as the growling hanyou scooted closer to the bed with his chair. "It's obvious that he cares for her very much. Love is such a beautiful thing is it not?"

Inutaisho let out a loud bark of laughter in response. "You're kidding me? There is as much love between these two as there is between a starving bear and a horde of incensed bees guarding their honey."

Megumi silenced her mate with a pinch that had him yelping in pain and pointed to the couple, her eyes transfixed on what was transpiring before their very eyes. "I'd never thought I'd live to see this day."

The concern for the well being of his mate overriding the impulse to greet the parents he hadn't seen for a week, Inuyasha abandoned the chair and gently leaned over the side of the bed to get closer to the one he loved. "Kagome?" he whispered gingerly caressing her cheek with one hand while the other intertwined with hers, the harsh lines of his face softening with affection, his eyes shining with tenderness.

"Is it over?" Kagome cracked one eye.

A small smile quirked the corners of his mouth in amusement. "I never knew you were such a baby when it comes to shots."

She pouted, blue eyes betraying mock hurt. "You'd be a baby too if you had to be injected with those jumbo size needles multiple times." Kagome glanced down to where an IV was imbedded in a vein in the right arm while the opposite had multiple indentures dotting along her forearm where Matsumoto-san had injected her with the various kinds of drugs.

"Are you sure it was absolutely necessary for him to inject you with those different types of medicine all at once?" he asked quietly tracing around the tiny pink marks on her skin. "What if you have an adverse reaction to them?" His grip on her hand unconsciously tightened at the thought of something happening to her because of the doctor's ignorance, red beginning to etch its way into his retinas. "Because if that idiot screws up and you suffer, I will personally rip out that moron's intestines, choke him with it, then hang him out to-" Inuyasha trailed off, the threat and his insecurity put out of mind as her cool fingers began to caress his ears, the simple gesture instantly quelling his arising youki.

"Nothing will happen Inuyasha," she smiled as he relaxed under her touch. "They have my medical record and know what I will and won't have a bad reaction to."

"I've never been to a hospital before," he admitted truthfully. Other than his annual check-up at a youkai run clinic, he had no need for excess medical care since youkai weren't as fragile as humans.

"That much is obvious." A yawn escaped her lips, her eyelids becoming heavier by the minute, in her drug induced condition. "I'm getting sleepy."

The hanyou made a noncommittal grunt as he burrowed his head softly beside her stomach, a purr of perfect contentment rumbling deeply within his chest. If only this moment could last forever. He inhaled the sweet smell of her scent, the aroma giving him a heady sort of rush, the continual soothing strokes she bestowed upon his ears lulling him into a hazy state of drowsiness. Bringing their entwined hands to his face, Inuyasha brushed his lips lovingly across her knuckles before allowing his eyelids to droop languidly under her ministrations, his half lidded gaze never straying from her spellbinding eyes.

Matsumoto frowned in noticeable confusion at the gaping expressions of the four adults. "Is something wrong?"

Shocked beyond words, neither couple was able to form legible sentences to express the utter bewilderment and disbelief they were experiencing, due to the sheer magnitude of the display transpiring before their very eyes.

Shrugging at their apparent bafflement, the doctor went ahead and proceeded with the findings of his examination of the newlyweds. "Well, as you probably all know by now my name is Dr. Matsumoto Saito. One of my nurses has already done a brief check up on Inuyasha a couple of minutes ago and with the exception of a few minor abrasions that will probably heal within the hour, he is fine. Kagome on the other hand has suffered a severe case of hypothermia and quite frankly I'm surprised that neither the muscle mass nor any bone in her body has atrophied in the least. It's a miracle that she didn't suffer from frostbite or any other serious aftereffect of hypothermia. The medicine I inoculated her with a few moments ago will help with stiffness and rigidity of her limbs and in a couple of days she should be back to full strength. You should be proud to have such a stubborn daughter with such a strong resolve to live."

"Hitomi," Ryo leaned over and breathed into her ear, the doctor's words having fallen on deaf ears, "is this another one of the illusions that accompany my usual hangovers?"

"If you're seeing what I'm seeing, then we both have probably have passed out after a long night of heavy drinking and are sharing the same disconcerting delusion that is making me seriously doubt my sanity," she remarked back to him in the same low voice.

Tearing her eyes away from her son and daughter-in-law, Megumi shot the good doctor a reassuring smile to ensure him that they all weren't total head cases. "Thank you for your help Matsumoto-san. When will they be able to go home?"

Pleased that someone had heard the results of his examinations, Matsumoto returned the smile, his attention focused exclusively on her since she was the only perceptible person that was paying the slightest bit of interest in what he had to say. "Inuyasha can be discharged today, but I would like Kagome to stay overnight for a couple of days to monitor her condition and make sure she doesn't take an unexpected turn for the worst. She will be able to leave by the end of the week."

"That's a relief. Thank you again Matsumoto-san," she said with a courteous bow.

The doctor's smile broadened. "No need for formalities. You can call me Saito."

"Matsumoto is fine," Inutaisho growled, his sharp gaze snapped heatedly in the young man's direction, his keen hearing having alerted him that the conversation was becoming too friendly for his liking. "You may leave now."

Chuckling knowingly, Matsumoto bowed and with a friendly toss of the hand, exited the room.

Megumi glared at her mate. "You didn't have to be so rude."

"I don't appreciate stupid young whelps sniffing around what is mine," the taiyoukai snorted disdainfully.

"You're becoming senile in your old age Inutaisho," his mate remarked with a roll of the eyes before turning to the other couple. "Do you think we should impose?" Megumi asked in regard to the young couple.

"A bit late for that don't you think?" Inuyasha drawled dryly from his sprawled position in the chair by the hospital bed, having moved from his comfortable spot beside his wife's stomach when his parent's altercation became too loud to ignore any longer.

"Hi Mom, Dad," Kagome finally acknowledged their presence with a weak smile, though secretly disappointed that she wouldn't have more alone time with Inuyasha.

"Oh, my poor baby." Hitomi quickly made her way over to her daughter's bedside and enveloped the girl in a tight embrace. "I was so worried about you sweetie," she said fighting back the tears that had welled in her eyes at the pure happiness that wrapped around her heart at having her daughter back alive and well. It seemed as though an eternity had passed since she had last seen her little girl.

Fighting back tears of her own, Kagome held on to her mother, inhaling her unique scent of warmth and security that all mothers exuded. "I missed you Mom."

"I missed you too." Wiping away a stray tear that had escaped the pool of salty liquid in her eyes, Hitomi eased her hold on Kagome and moved back a bit so that her husband could greet their daughter.

"How are you holding up, hime?" Ryo said clinching her to his chest in a bear tight hug that spoke degrees on how much he missed her.

"I'm ok," Kagome managed to exhale as her father practically forced the air from her lungs with his bear tight hold, her glance sliding over his shoulder to lock gazes with Inuyasha, who was presently trapped in the arms of his imperious father while the taiyoukai thumped him on the back repeatedly, praising him for coming back in one piece, his mother on the other side pinching his cheek and saying how proud she was of him. A smile touched her lips at his exasperated expression while mouthed a plea for help to her.

Kagome stuck out her tongue and smothered a giggle when bared his fangs playfully at her, promises of repercussions and payback glimmering within his amber orbs for her laughing at his misfortune.

"Kagome?" She forced her attention from the amusing predicament her hanyou was entangled in at the moment to her mother's questioning gaze.

Ryo released her from the hug so she could speak, allowing oxygen to enter her lungs once more. "Yes?" she said upon recovering from the firm embrace.

A teasing smile curved on the older woman's lips, her brown eyes glinting with delight. "Why the sudden change of heart towards your husband?"

The room went silent all at once as five pairs of eyes settled on her. It felt as if a brushfire had just spread across her face. "I…uh…" Now how was she going to break down all that had happened while they had been secluded on the island in three sentences or less? Gods, there was so much to tell and such little time and she was getting awfully sleepy.

"We made amends and are happily married now," the hanyou put simply for them, his arms crossed and expression daring anybody to object to the idea.

"Why that's wonderful," Megumi exclaimed clapping, her eyes misting over with wetness, the prospect of her son and daughter-in-law finally together proving to be a bit much for her to handle.

"It's about damn time my boy," Inutaisho grinned and whacked his son on the back heartily. "It took you two long enough to realize that you two were made for each other."

"You know, for once Dad," Inuyasha began fixing his gaze on the beautiful maiden sitting up in the hospital bed, the corners of his lips curling into a smile, "I believe you're right."

Tears flowed openly down both mother's faces, elation overtaking their hearts. This was the moment they had been dreaming of, ever since even before the arrangement and now it was finally an actuality. It was like a dream come true. Now, they would be happy since the merger would succeed after all and their children were happy since they had reawakened the love they had had for each other from the time when they were younger.

"Why did this happen?" Kagome said in a soft voice, her blue eyes distant as she vividly recalled the events that took place the fateful day when the plane veered out of the sky, when she and Inuyasha were forced to jump out of the cockpit into the icy ocean.

Tension threaded through the small room, the jollity that had overtaken the occupants upon hearing the announcement of the newlywed's rekindled love forgotten with the utterance of the simple question. An unspoken conflict raged within the persons of older age as they weighed their options, between enlightening their children about the truth of the situation or telling them a mixture of fact and fiction for their safety. Ignorance was bliss after all.

Ryo took it upon himself to address the question that the other adults were hesitant to tackle since he was the more levelheaded out of their company. "As you both know, Higurashi Takeda Corporations is the leading manufacturer or supplier if you will of the most state-of-the-art technological innovations in the world. Unfortunately, there are those out there who think they can destroy what we have created by threatening the safety of those close to us as well as the merger."

"What do you mean destroy the merger?" Inuyasha interjected, his face stone set in seriousness, and his facial muscles twitching as he tried to keep his temper in check. There was something they weren't telling them and he wanted to know. If anything happened to Kagome because of their actions, he would personally see to it that the company was obliterated off the face of the planet, even if it meant giving up his lavish lifestyle.

"What Ryo means," Inutaisho spoke up, the rich timbre of his voice reverberating off the walls of the enclosed room, "is that in the contract that you two signed right before the wedding ceremony, there is a section that states if either one of you happens to…pass away during the first two months of establishment, in the event of your death the merged corporation would be forced to separate back into their respective companies before the joining."

"So you're saying that there is some nut out there trying to kill us because they want your stupid corporation to go back to the way it was?" the hanyou gritted through clenched teeth, angered by the fact their supposed family was putting their lives on the line for the sole benefit of the damn company.

Hitomi sighed. "That's not the case. The guys who rigged your plane to stop functioning-"

"They weren't actually on the plane were they?" Kagome stared dumbfounded at her mother, fighting off the wave of drowsiness that was steadily witling down on her senses.

She shook her head bitterly. "No. The detective working on the case caught the two guys that sabotaged the plane and has them in custody now. Apparently, they programmed the plane to stop performing after reaching a certain distance. Before the take off, they impaired the controls and radio so that you wouldn't be able to pilot the plane to safety."

"Even though, the culprits behind this have been caught, there might be more where they came from so for the next month security will be tightened around your manor and you all will be limited to the places you want to go for precautions," Megumi stated matter-of-factly.

"Why did you make us sign the contract when you knew full well that this might happen?" Inuyasha growled heatedly at his father.

"It's customary that all merging companies sign a contract similar to the one you two signed," Megumi defended their actions, her brown eyes pleading with his to see that their exploits weren't intended to harm either one of them. "You have to understand that we never deliberately planned for this to happen. We arranged this with best possible intentions in mind."

"Is it possible that it will happen again?" Kagome asked to no particular person, her heart sinking into the pit of her stomach at this new information that was failed to be brought to their attention earlier.

"Oh honey." Hitomi sat down on the bed next to her daughter and wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders. "There is absolutely nothing you have to worry about. I just want you to enjoy your time with Inuyasha. In a couple of weeks, I'll arrange a little get away trip, or honeymoon, for you two in Paris and then some time in Venice. How does that sound?" She gave her daughter a suggestive wink. "It could give you two some necessary time alone so you can catch up on lost time. And I will personally make sure that you have the best sound barriers put up in your room so that any excessive noise won't be heard."

"Mom," Kagome groaned, red beginning to stain her face at the blatant innuendo and by her own mother no less. How mortifying.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed at her deliberate maneuver to change the subject, but he didn't say anything. He knew they were hiding something, but he wouldn't press the issue any further because of Kagome. They knew exactly what was going on and it obviously had something to do with them or else they wouldn't be so tight lipped with the subject matter. His hands tightened into fists as he fought off the urge to decimate.

His ears flicked towards the door where the barely audible pitter patters of small feet could be heard scurrying across the hospital halls, nearing their room at an alarming rate. Inuyasha growled lowly, his eyes flashing with brief annoyance. Guess he would get the chance to maim after all.

"Kagome!" a little voice squealed zipping through the cracked door and rushing to the bedside in a flurry of movement. The tiny creature jumped up, intent on burrowing itself into the arms of the awaiting girl, only to be stopped mid air by an outstretched hand.

The hanyou smirked. "Where the hell do you think you're going runt?"

The teary eyed kitsune turned around as much as could in Inuyasha's vice grip and burst into a fresh set of tears. "Inuyasha!" Twisting skillfully out of his grasp, Shippou raced up his arm and wrapped his tiny arms around his neck. "I thought I'd never see you guys again."

Inuyasha could only stand there in mild shock and awkwardness at the child's antics, uncertain of how to deal with his palpable show of affection. "Stop your bawling kid. We're fine, now get off of me." He tried to pry the kitsune's diminutive child's hands from his neckline, but Shippou had firmly attached himself onto the hanyou and showed no sign of letting up any time soon. Inuyasha groaned in exasperation.

Kagome hid a smile behind her hand. She had a tough time imagining him as a father figure. Inuyasha as a father. The smile froze on her face as a million possibilities raced through her mind. Gods, would he want children? Did she want children? No, not yet. They were still too young. But more importantly, would she be ready when the time came to consummate with him and express her feelings for him sexually? Kagome felt her face heat up at the thought, as not so pure thoughts came to mind, which were thankfully, more or less, interrupted when a giant fur ball nestled into her stomach.

"I missed you Kagome," came Shippou's muffled response, his head rubbing affectionately in the warmth of her stomach.

"I missed you too," Kagome smiled, and tousled his bushy tail, her heart warming with fondness towards the small child in her lap.

"I guess we'll be going now." Ryo kissed the top of his daughter's head. "We'll be back later on with some of your things."

"Good-bye sweetie." Hitomi playfully pinched her cheek. "Be a good girl and remember to be courteous to the staff here."

After the farewells were distributed and the newlyweds were showered with even more hugs and kisses, the adults left, but no sooner had they walked out the door when two more people entered, leaving Inuyasha to wonder if he would ever get Kagome alone.

"Kagome." Tears of happiness and relief trickled down the taijiya's face as she ran over to the bedside and encircled her long lost friend in her arms. "I was beginning to think I would never see you again."

"Oh Sango. You're going to make me start crying again." Kagome laughed, water beginning to gather in her eyes again.

Inuyasha eyed the grinning monk warily as he came up to greet him. "If you even think about cuddling me, I'll kick your ass."

Miroku's grin widened. It seemed as though being stuck on a deserted island hadn't done anything to improve the hanyou's callous demeanor. "The thought had never crossed my mind. Besides," his gaze settled on Sango, who was in the midst of chatting amiably with the friend she hadn't seen in a week, "I already have someone to cuddle."

A brow arched in response to his best friend's statement. "So, you two are official?"

Miroku gave a careless shrug. "More or less."

"Is it more or less?" Inuyasha questioned rolling his eyes at the man's evasiveness.

The monk sighed. "I suppose we're more unofficial than official as of now."

"What did you do?" Inuyasha smirked.

"I don't understand my Sango at times. When we're alone at home, she giggles and finds pleasure in my…wandering hands. But when we're in public and I try to give her backside some attention, she hits and yells at me for being a lecher. I just don't understand the woman." He hung is head in defeat.

"Sango giggles?" For some unfathomable reason Inuyasha was unable to conjure a mental image of the tough, kicker of asses that the taijiya was giggling like some inane schoolgirl.

Miroku picked up his head and glared at him for missing the entire point of his proclamation. "Would you please try and stay focused for a minute."

"Oi, don't blame me because you have problems controlling your perverted ways in public!" Inuyasha snapped, his irritation getting the best of him and in turn earned him everyone's attention.

"Inuyasha, be nice," Kagome chided evenly though a half smile played at her lips.

The hanyou found himself ensnared in her mesmerizing pools of endless blue that reminded him of the beauty of the ocean, sparkling with a depth and calmness that always put him at ease. "Keh," he mumbled reluctantly tearing his eyes away from hers, desperately wishing these people would just leave them the hell alone so he could have her all to himself.

The not so subtle silent exchange between the two had not gone unnoticed by their friends.

"Since when did you start liking Inuyasha?" Shippou asked earnestly looking up at Kagome from her lap, voicing the unspoken thoughts of the unofficial couple.

"Since we got stranded on the island idiot," the hanyou scowled at the kitsune.

"Is this true Kagome?" Sango inquired to her friend, the glint in her brown eyes clearing indicating that they needed to talk.

Kagome laughed nervously. "Yes, it's true. We put the past behind us and are focusing on the future."

"Do you mind explaining how that occurred? The last time we saw you two, you both were practically at each other's throat," the taijiya grinned, eager to hear what adventurous and romantic tales her friend had to share from their near death escape from the island.

"It's kind of a long story."

"That's ok Kagome, we have all day," Miroku said with a grin pulling up the nearest chair and sitting down next to the bed earnestly.

Inuyasha felt like bashing his head on the nearest wall. This was taking cruel and unusual punishment to a whole new level. Gods, now they would be there forever. He briefly wondered if she would be really pissed if he picked them all up and threw them out… gently. His ears twitched and rotated in the direction of the door as a familiar scent drifted into his nose. The hanyou inwardly groaned. 'Not more fucking company.'

"I don't think I can stay awake long enough to tell the whole story," Kagome yawned and rubbed her eyes, the effects of the drugs slowly dulling her senses. From the time the words left her mouth to the time she removed her hands from massaging her eyes, the tension in the room had thickened considerably.

Kagome scowled and looked around to what everyone was looking at near the doorway. Her eyes lit up instantly upon seeing who stood in the threshold of the room. "Ayame! I thought you would never show up. Come over here."

The uncomfortable silence that had pervaded the room intensified with every hesitant step that the downtrodden wolf girl took, much to the confusion of Inuyasha and Kagome.

The hanyou frowned and stared between the now silent Miroku and Sango. "What the hell is wrong with you two?"

Choosing to ignore the question, Sango got up and gave her friend another quick hug. "Since you're tired and all, we'll be leaving. But as soon as come home, you and I will have a tête-à-tête. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Kagome replied with a smile and watched somewhat sadly as the taijiya exited the room without some much as a glance toward Miroku or Ayame.

"Bye Kagome!" Shippou gave her stomach one last heartfelt nuzzle before hopping off the bed and trailing after the other girl.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the pathetic expression on the monk's face. "Would you just go apologize to her?"

Miroku sighed and stood. "I suppose, though I doubt that it will be any good. See you around Inuyasha, Kagome."

Ayame waited until everyone left the room before speaking. "Do you think I could speak to Kagome alone for a minute, Inuyasha?"

"Whatever you have to say to her, you can say in front of me," the hanyou responded firmly, golden eyes studying the female wolf youkai guardedly. Something peculiar was up with her, something he couldn't put his finger on and it was giving him an edgy feeling. The fiery glint in her eyes that was usually dancing vividly were absent in her dull, emerald colored orbs, leaving in its place a sort of vapid sullenness that gave her the appearance of lifelessness, only a shell of what she once used to be.

Kagome's heart clenched at the morose disposition of one of her best friends. Clearly there was something bothering her to the extent where she was even uneasy in the presence of her. "Inuyasha, could you just step out for five minutes? I need to talk to Ayame alone," she said without taking her eyes off of the other female.

"No," he replied decisively taking his dominant position by her bedside, eyes narrowed and arms crossed at the youkai in their presence, but faltered slightly when her fingers encompassed his own. The pleading gaze in her soulful blue eyes crumbled bits and pieces of his resolve to the point where he felt himself agreeing to whatever she asked of him.

"Fine," Inuyasha finally grumbled, his ears lowering in defeat and bent down to place a chaste kiss along her cheek, his lips barely brushing across her skin. "Five minutes and that is it," he breathed, his warm breath sending tiny tremors through her system.

"Thanks Inuyasha," she smiled lovingly at him.

"Keh." He turned and left, shooting the wolf a wary glance before departing the room.

"Now what's wrong Ayame," Kagome inquired after hearing the click of the door as it closed behind the hanyou.

Ayame took an uncertain seat in the chair that had been previously vacated at the foot of the bed, her eyes still cast toward the floor. "I see that you and Inuyasha have made amends."

Kagome allowed a grin the spread across her face. "Yeah, pretty unbelievable, huh?"

The wolf youkai just shrugged. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. The love that you two share is one of a kind. I only wish I had the chance to share that with someone."

"I thought you felt that way towards Kouga?" she asked in mild confusion.

Ayame's head picked up at once at the mention of his name, the anger that distorted her features making her friend visibly flinch in response. "That's when I thought I had a damn chance with him until you went and screwed it up for me with your lies and manipulation!" she snapped and jumped out of the chair, sending the innocent object flying across the polished hospital floor.

Kagome winced when the chair collided against the wall with a loud clatter. "Ayame, what are you talking about? I talked to Kouga about the situation before I left. I told him I didn't love him-"

"Evidently, it only fueled his desires for you and put me in a position where I am seen as some kind of over obsessive fanatic." Ayame glared in the other girl's direction, anger and hurt and betrayal swirling within her jade depths.

"What the fuck is going on in here!" Inuyasha demanded throwing the door open, his eyes swiftly scanning the room to make sure nothing was wrong.

"Everything's fine Inuyasha," Kagome said somewhat distractedly, her eyes imploring his desperately. "Please, leave us for a couple more minutes."

The hanyou bared his fangs at the seething wolf youkai in front of Kagome's bed, unwilling to leave her side a second time when the threat of her getting hurt loomed dangerously overhead. Pushing down his inherent urge to protect what was his and defend her against any danger whatsoever, Inuyasha gradually left back out once more, though this time keeping extra close to the door just in case her so called friend decided to hurt his mate.

The wheels in Kagome's mind turned as fast as they could in her drug induced state in an attempt to fathom why she and Kouga weren't together. She was sure she had told the wolf youkai that she didn't love him in the way he wanted her to. Then suddenly, it clicked; Ayame's frustration with herself and why she got an almost overwhelming feeling of incompleteness and guilt every time her thoughts drifted back to the day when she confronted Kouga. She had forgotten to tell him before she left that it wasn't Ayame's influence of who had affected her love for him, but her choice and what she felt.

_"Kouga…" she started, fixing her stare on the black marble countertops instead of looking him in the eyes. "We have to end things between us. Indefinitely. I can't be with you anymore. Things are different now. I'm married and I have to uphold my position as a wife to Inuyasha."_

_A low growl rumbled within the wolf's chest, denial flashing in his cobalt orbs. "That stupid mutt doesn't give a damn about you. He has a hundred other women running around all over the city. I'm the only one that can give you what you want, what you deserve." He attempted to recapture her arms, but she jumped away from his reach._

_"That's not necessarily true Kouga," she said softly, reluctantly dragging her gaze to meet his fierce one. "You deserve someone who will treat you with equal love and commitment. I can't do that. I…I don't love you." There she had said it._

_The muscle in Kouga's jaw twitched, his ears refusing to believe the words that had just flowed from her mouth. "Kagome…you don't mean that."_

_"I'm so sorry Kouga, but I do." It tore her up inside to see the pain she was inflicting on him in his beautiful cobalt orbs, but he needed to know the truth. "I don't feel anything for you on that kind of level. I've always thought of you as a friend and you always will be one to me. But we can never be anything more than that."_

_Kouga backed away from her. His heart constricted painfully in his chest. "You mean all the time that we've been together, all four years, you've never felt anything even close to love for me?" he asked quietly, hoping the pain and betrayal he felt didn't show in his voice._

_Kagome bowed her head in an attempt to hide the tears brimming her eyes. She hated hurting people, especially those close to her. She had deceived him after all these years, after all that he had done for her; after all of the love he had showered on her. "It's always been love as a friend, but never as a lover. I'm sorry Kouga. You should be with someone that can return your love like I can't."_

_He didn't say anything. And with his back facing her, Kagome didn't know what kind of affect her news was having on him. "If it helps any, Ayame is head over heels in love with you," she hinted softly, a hopeful lilt in her voice. "She has been ever since the first time she laid eyes on you."_

_Kouga's head immediately snapped up at the proclamation and for a second, Kagome believed that he felt the same way about her friend, but that was before he turned around, his cobalt eyes ablaze with anger and resentment. "She put you up to this didn't she?"_

_"No, that's not what I me-"_

_A calloused finger silenced her flow of words. A small smile upturned the corners of his lips as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You are so considerate and sweet, my Kagome. You're always thinking of the well being of others before yourself. That's one of the things I love about you. You don't have to lie to me because Ayame is in love with me. I love you and only you." After kissing her nose, Kouga left a very frustrated Kagome in the kitchen._

_"Leave it to Kouga to be so dense," Kagome sighed. She had a feeling she had just made things worst rather than better. Now Ayame had even less of a chance of getting Kouga to fall in love with her than before. "I'd better go talk to him," she mumbled and ventured out of the kitchen to find him._

Her eyes widened in realization. That's why Ayame felt as though she betrayed her. Her gaze landed guiltily on her ranting and pacing friend before her head. She had failed to straighten things out with Kouga before Ayame professed her love to him. Kagome felt like slapping herself against the head for her negligence and stupidity. Crap, now she had only made things worse. She only hoped that it wasn't too late to save the already deteriorating relationship between the wolves.

Ayame dragged a clawed hand through her tangled and disheveled mass of red hair in aggravation and took a calming breath in an attempt to negate the negativity and anger that was thrumming throughout her youki. "Hell, I know you're just getting back from that godforsaken island and still recovering from hypothermia and all, but I simply wanted to let you know that I didn't appreciate you going to Kouga and informing him that I was some kind of jealous, neurotic freak that pines over him continually or saying that I was the reason you broke up with him in the first place."

All of the resentment and understandable vexation in her best friend's voice made Kagome's heart sink further and further into the pit of her stomach. Struggling to keep her tears at bay and her eyelids from drooping sleepily, Kagome swallowed the enlarged lump in her throat and focused on keeping her voice steady. "I'm sorry I put you through so much humiliation and pain Ayame. You have to believe that I didn't deliberately plan for that to happen."

"Well if it wasn't on purpose, then why did you say those mean things about me?" she asked, her voice beginning to crack from the warring emotions that raged frantically within her.

"Ayame, I didn't tell Kouga anything other than the fact that our love wasn't mutual and that my duty was to be the mate of Inuyasha and Inuyasha only. After I told him I didn't love him the way he did to me and that you were the one that was in love with him, he got some crazy notion into his head that you somehow influenced my decision to break things off with him."

"Then why didn't you correct him?" she asked in a quiet voice, not fully trusting her voice in her normal tone in the state she was in at the moment.

Kagome sighed sadly. "I tried to tell him but he was so adamant in his beliefs and you know how stubborn he gets when he really believes something as true. He ran off before I could and Inuyasha came and got me in one of his pissy moods and ended up pissing me off and I completely forgot about tracking down Kouga. I was going to tell him before we left for Hawaii, but then he upped and disappeared right as we were leaving." Gods, it was getting harder and harder for her to stay awake. She could feel the thick fog of lethargy seeping into her brain.

Kagome was jolted back to reality when heart wrenching sobs and tears poured forth from the wolf youkai as she came over and roughly encircled her friend in her arms. "Oh Kagome, I'm so sorry," she wailed dismally, "I'm probably the worst friend you could ever have."

Stifling a yawn, Kagome smiled, awkwardly trying to hug her back within her bear tight grasp. "Forget about it. It was my fault that you embarrassed yourself in front of Kouga when he had all of those disturbing misconceptions about you."

"I feel like such an idiot," Ayame sniffled, pulling away from Kagome long enough to wipe away the stray tears that streamed down her face. "I can't believe I was actually beginning to feel hate towards you for what I thought you did."

"Didn't I say forget about it." Kagome smeared her own tears with her palms.

"Yeah, but-"

"Ayame," she put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile, "if there's one thing I learned from being on a secluded island with Inuyasha, it's that sometimes it is best for us to put things behind us and focus on the future, otherwise, we might miss out on something good that's right in front of our face."

The red head returned the smile and for the first time in a long time, the emotions that rampaged relentless within her soul were put at rest. "Thanks Kagome."

"No problem." She paused to yawn and settled more comfortably in the sheets, the medicine that was inoculated into her system earlier taking full effect. "As soon as…Kouga gets back…I'll…I'll…fix…stuff." She began to nod off, allowing the darkness that accompanied sleep to saturate her mind, providing an outlet to all of the stress and hassle she had underwent that day.

Ayame watched as the girl drifted into slumber and opted that it was time for her to leave. "Thank you Kagome. And I am truly sorry for believing that you would ever betray our friendship. I know you're better than that. This just shows what a crappy friend I am. Hopefully someday, I'll become half the friend that you've been to me." Pulling the covers over the girl, Ayame smiled at her sleeping form and using a stealth that only a skilled wolf youkai could accomplish, quietly retreated to the door.

Turning the handle and giving it a slight tug, she bit back a yelp of surprise when Inuyasha fell forward and almost toppled on top of her. Ayame chuckled in amusement as he hurriedly came to his feet, acting as though he just hadn't been caught eavesdropping.

"Are you done yet?" he questioned harshly.

"Calm down puppy." Smirking, she stepped aside so that he could enter. "I'm done talking with her. You may go in now."

"Keh, I don't need any permission from some fucking wolf," he growled shooting her a glare as he went in.

"Oh, and Inuyasha," she beseeched before he shut the door, her emerald eyes having returned to their usual passionate self, "hurt her again, I'll castrate your ass and auction off your bits and pieces on EBay to the highest bidder." Her face was all seriousness.

"I'd do it myself before I would her," he replied, his golden gaze speaking the truth of his words, then closed the door once the wolf youkai nodded and returned to his woman.

Inuyasha inwardly groaned when he saw that she had already fallen asleep. 'Wonderful. I finally get her all to myself and she's knocked out.' The hanyou strode over to the bed, dragging his chair with him in the process. With a heavy hearted sigh, he plopped down in the plush seat and laid his head down beside her stomach, taking a moment to marvel in her beauty.

'She looks like an angel,' he mused, his honey coated orbs softening with love and veneration. Her silken tresses lay fanned out around her still form, her sun kissed complexion giving off a healthy glow beneath the white, paper thin sheets that covered her body. Her face was the epitome of relaxation and contentment, her pink, pouty lips that curved in a half smile acted as a beacon to his own as he placed a tender kiss on her luscious lips.

"I love you Kagome," he murmured softly against her unmoving lips. Abandoning the chair, Inuyasha took off his shoes and furtively climbed under the sheets with her. He shifted her immobile body so that her back spooned against his stomach and wrapped his arms securely around her tiny frame. The scent of jasmine and lilacs suffused all of his senses as he buried his head into the warmth of her neck.

"My angel," he whispered bringing her closer to his body before joining her in the land of the subconscious.

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AN: Hope you like. Twenty three friggin pages for you all, now I'm pooped. This chapter was kind of slow but took care of the necessary things that needed to be covered. For those looking for more Sango/Miroku interaction, future chapters will be more involved with their drama, but Inu/Kag always come first. Next chapter, next chapter is kind of like a turning point and is going to have a very interesting, yet sickening twist, so stay tuned. J

Review and tell me what you think.


	18. The Revelation

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, do you really think I would be here writing fanfiction? Thought so.

**AN**: This is a very long chapter as you all can plainly see. I hope you're proud of me. ::grins:: Be proud of **Kimmie** too for proofing and editing it in two hours and sending it back to me at 2 am. ::hand bouquet of flowers to beta:: Thank you **Kimmie**. And thanks to everyone who reviewed on this story and told me they loved it. ::blushes:: I've never felt so liked before. All of this, all twenty nine pages is for you guys. And if I had the time and energy I'd give a shout out to all, but I'm going back to sleep. Enjoy!

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The Revelation

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The next couple of days went by without much excitement for a bed ridden Kagome. Staying cooped up in a hospital while the world passed her by within the sterilized walls of her room that at times seemed to be closing in on her was no barrel of laughs. She would've surely gone crazy if Inuyasha and her friends hadn't visited her occasionally and provided her with some form of fun and amusement.

Whatever friction or hostility there had been between Sango and Ayame had resolved itself overnight after she and the wolf youkai had sat down and talked, which was a relief since Kagome hated it when they fought. It felt good being amongst her friends after a week of being stranded on an island and returned some of the normality to her life that had been lost over the last couple of weeks, though it was hard not to miss the not so subtle indications that things would not be the same for a very long time.

Ever since the day they were told that there was still a lingering threat that some sick, demented person in the world posed a menace to their safety, guards had been stationed in her room, outside the door, and around the perimeter of the building. Whenever Inuyasha came to visit, he was always accompanied by at least two gruff looking bodyguards who looked as though they could snap your neck in the blink of an eye, which made it difficult to carry on a private conversation with each other when you had a burly guardian breathing down over your shoulder listening to your every word.

Personally, Kagome was grateful that her parents were looking out for their well being. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was pissed and very much offended that he had to have bodyguards defend him when he believed he could protect himself and his mate without the help of outsiders. But their protection was not only extended to them and their manor, but to their friends as well. Although, Shippou and Miroku didn't mind being escorted, especially when one of their wardens turned out to be a pretty female, Ayame and Sango weren't too keen on the idea of being protected by strangers when they were capable of defending themselves, coming from a family of warriors and fighters.

When the time came for Kagome to be discharged from the hospital, she was absolutely ecstatic, partially due to the fact that hospital food paled considerably in comparison to Kaede's home cooked meals, which she sorely missed while being away. She had also missed bathing in her own shower, which is why her squeals of delight and happiness as the limo pulled into the driveway to her home didn't come as a surprise. If anything, her glee and enthusiasm significantly lightened the gloomy atmosphere that had shrouded the lives of the people around her at being a potential target of the murderer that could possibly be stalking them.

"Gods, it feels so good to be back." Kagome grin threatened to split her lips as she promptly jumped out of the still moving vehicle to go meet Kaede, who stood waiting atop the stairs of the manor with a pleasant smile uplifting the harsh lines of her wrinkled face, along with Shippou and Sango, who had opted not to go with the hanyou to pick up her friend when she learned she would be riding in the same limo with the lecher.

"Am I the only one that finds it disturbing when that old hag smiles?" Inuyasha grumbled to the other occupants of the vehicle.

"What's your problem?" Ayame inquired with a quirked brow.

"He's just frustrated because he has been married for a good three weeks and has yet to have sexual relations with his wife," Miroku put simply giving the hanyou a sympathetic smile.

"It is not that!" he snapped and got out of the limo as soon as it had come to a halt, slamming the door shut before his personal bodyguard had a chance to follow his lead. Sex was the last thing on his fucking mind. Inuyasha walked to the trunk and took out Kagome's bag, the tic in his jaw twitching with agitation. Ok, so maybe it wasn't, but his sexual inactivity was the least of his problems.

He slammed the trunk close and spun around so quickly he accidentally bumped into his robust bodyguard who had come up behind him so surreptitiously that it had escaped his acute hearing. Growling, Inuyasha suppressed with a great deal of will power the sudden urge to rake his claws across the inuyoukai's stoic face and instead chose to step around the tall, domineering figure and began the short distance to the entrance of his home.

That was what pissed him off to no end; those dickwad bodyguards thinking they were the shit walking around like they owned the place. Amber eyes narrowed in jealousy when he saw his mate joking with her keeper in a familiar manner that had him inwardly seething. Who the hell did they think they were? It was bad enough that they were here in the first place, but now they were interposing on his relationship with his mate and his territory. Possessiveness and anger raged through his blood, sending his youki rocketing skyward. Fucking obtrusive bastards.

"Calm down little one," came the cocky voice of the male behind him as they walked up the concrete staircase. "Nobody is taking over anything. We're just here for your protection."

The hanyou whipped around and grabbed the inuyoukai by his shirt, his features twisted in fury, red beginning to creep into his retinas. "Don't tell me to fucking calm down shitface! I do as I fucking please and no two bit rent-a-cop will tell me different! Got that asswipe?"

The other male's expression remained lax and disinterested, his pale green eyes staring into the hanyou's in boredom. "Are you done with your little temper tantrum pup, because frankly I don't have time to play babysitter to some snobby kid who's afraid of a little authority."

Crimson bled into his eyes as jagged purple lines etched onto the side of his face, his fangs beginning to elongate and emerge from the cavern of his mouth in a hostile manner. The vicious grin that curved on his lips had a tremor of trepidation shooting down the inuyoukai's spine, a flicker of fear flashing within his pale depths. "You're going to fucking regret that," the red-eyed hanyou growled in a purely guttural tone and in one fluid motion, picked the startled bodyguard up, and vehemently hurled him down the concrete steps with surprisingly little effort.

"Sit boy!"

A howl of rage escaped the hanyou before the potent pull of the rosary around his neck yanked him down to the ground with a powerful slam.

Fear gripped Kagome's chest as she ran over to her fallen husband and bent down next to him, completely forgetting about the other youkai that was sprawled in a stunned daze at the bottom of the steps. "Inuyasha, are you ok?" she asked pushing his hair away from his face, half afraid that he was still in full youkai mode.

He didn't respond immediately to her inquiry in his facedown position and for a moment had her believing that he had sustained a traumatic head injury or something of that sort. A wave of relief washed over her when he stirred and slowly began picking himself up from off the ground. Her brows creased in concern as she latched onto his arm and helped him stand to his feet. "Inuyasha?"

Instead of answering her, the hanyou spat out the acrid taste of blood that had gathered in his mouth after unintentionally biting his tongue when he was pulled down. He grabbed her wrist and led her inside; disregarding all the stares they were receiving as they left.

"Where are we going?" Kagome asked while he tugged her in the direction of the library.

Again, he chose not to answer her question through words, but by action. Inuyasha swiftly closed the double glass painted doors behind them and locked it so that they wouldn't be interrupted by unwanted intruders, then proceeded with drawing the blinds so that nobody would be able to peek in.

"Inu-," His lips crushed against hers fervently, the query forgotten in the heat of the moment as his arms snaked around her waist and wrenched her forcefully into his chest, their bodies molding together perfectly. He sucked at and teased her lower lip with his fangs, growling in satisfaction when her lips parted as she moaned in response, allowing him to slip his tongue inside her moist cavern.

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat as his hot tongue swept along the roof of her mouth, his claws gliding up her shirt to fondle the soft skin of her stomach. She fisted her hands in white tresses and pulled him closer if that were even possible as their tongues battled for dominance in a frenzied clash of wills and persistence.

"Mine," he growled lowly and tugged her backwards until the back of his knees met the leather couch that was placed in the center of the room. With their tongues still feverishly exploring one another's mouths, Inuyasha skillfully maneuvered her onto the couch so that he lay on top of her, breaking apart from her only to pull her shirt over her head.

There was no measure to how frustrated he was with their predicament. He hadn't had a moment's peace with her since they had returned to Japan, and now he would have even less privacy with all of the fucking guards stationed all around the house and the grounds. He poured all of his frustration, all of his anger, all of the turbulent emotions that raged on a continual basis within him into his kisses and his caresses.

Kagome could feel his intense emotions and feelings through his almost urgent and passionate kisses that were turning her insides to mush. She drew in a sharp breath when his mouth left hers and working its way downward, his burning tongue leaving a trail of wetness along the smooth span of her neck to her bra-clad breasts. Her fingers itched to touch his skin, to feel the contours of his chest. Not caring that she was being rather bold and that the other youkai in the house could probably hear their activities, Kagome reached up and slid his shirt over his head.

"Kagome," he moaned as her soft, slender fingers glided across his chest timidly, his body tightening in response as her hands moved lower to stroke his abdomen, as if memorizing the curves of his body.

Her heart skipped a beat when their eyes met and she saw the dark, chaotic emotions swirling in his smoldering gaze, the utter intensity and passion spiraling in their depths fueling her own desire to unfathomable heights. Gods, he was beautiful. With her pulse thrumming vigorously in her veins, Kagome brought her trembling hands from his chest to cup his face, her pants becoming less strenuous as her lungs filled with much needed air. A light sheen of sweat covered his face; slightly damp locks of hair were plastered unevenly to his face, the remainder of his wild mane spilling gracefully over his shoulders, effectively trapping both their faces in his curtain of hair.

Inuyasha stared down the lithe creature ensnared between his body and the leather couch, his heart overflowing with undiluted love. He found himself enthralled by her alluring blue eyes, blue eyes that caused his heart to beat three times its normal pace whenever he looked into them, hypnotic blue eyes that he found himself easily lost within and could render all of his motor functions immobile, blue eyes that understood and cared for him with as much conviction as he had for her.

The hanyou dipped his head in low and inhaled her wonderful scent that could easily satiate his appetite any day. "I love you, Kagome," he whispered against her lips, his hands coming to entrench themselves within her raven colored tresses, his eyes never leaving her own.

Kagome smiled up at him, her heart hammering so hard in her chest she thought her ribs would crack. "I love you too, Inuyasha."

"Forever?" he murmured nuzzling the sweep of her neck with his nose.

Her breath caught. "Always and forever."

The tender moment was shattered by the furious pounding of someone at the double doors, jolting the young lovers out of their world and back to reality with an abruptness that had them both growling in annoyance.

"I'm going to fucking kill someone in a second!" Inuyasha barked at whoever was beating on the doors, murder gleaming in his fierce amber eyes.

Kagome grabbed the sides of his faces before he could get up and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, one that instantly calmed the fire raging in his blood and melted his furious expression to one of contentment. She broke the exchange slowly, ignoring the insistent thumps on the door, her eyes never straying from his molten pools of adoration and love. "Remember your manners, Inuyasha," she grinned and flicked one of his ears.

Growling playfully, he nipped at her lips before grudgingly leaving the warmth of her body. "Can I at least scratch him? Just once?" he pleaded throwing his shirt back over his head.

"Maybe one, but not too deep that you'd kill the poor guy." 'Though it would be well deserved for breaking up our romantic interlude,' she considered wryly as she slipped into her shirt.

The pounding at the door became louder and more unrelenting.

Grinding his teeth together, he waited until Kagome had her shirt on before wrenching open the door, ready to tear someone's throat out with his fangs if need be. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Keep your barking at a minimum mutt face. I've just had a tiring flight that took me three days to book and the last thing I want to see is your ugly face. Now where is my Kagome?"

Kagome's head snapped up at the mention of her name. There was only one person who would ever refer to her as 'theirs'. "Kouga! You're back. Did you have a nice flight?" she plastered on the fakest of smiles and stood to greet her old friend while internally mulling over how she was going to go about breaking his heart once more.

His nostrils flared as the intermingled arousals of both his woman and the mutt wafted heavily in the air, causing his stomach to roll in contempt and disgust. His face scrunched in confusion as he shifted his glance from the slightly damp and tousled façade of the hanyou to the equally flustered girl.

"Uh, Inuyasha, could you leave me and Kouga alone for a sec?" She stared earnestly at him when he started growling again. "So I can break the news to him."

"What news?" the wolf youkai looked between them, his confusion intensifying by the second.

A knowing smirked tugged at Inuyasha's lips. "Fine. Five fucking minutes and that's it."

Kouga glowered and walked past the cocky hanyou into the library, suitcases still in hand, and over to where Kagome sat on the black couch, a nervous smile gracing her features. The blue eyed youkai started to take a seat beside her, but the overwhelming scent of their arousals proved to be too strong and too nauseating for his liking, so he opted to stand. "Kagome, what the hell is going on?"

"We're back together moron. So fuck off and get your own damn woman."

Kagome glared at the silver haired hanyou that was leaning casually in the threshold. "Inuyasha, you do realize that I wanted to talk to him alone."

He shot daggers at the back of Kouga's head before closing double doors and leaving them be, though a loitering shadow that could be seen under the cracks informed her that he indeed had not left and was probably eavesdropping as usual. Rolling her eyes, Kagome turned her attention back to Kouga who was presently resting against the lamp table across from her, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I take it you two kissed and made up on the island," he spoke first, keeping his voice quiet so she wouldn't take heed of the hurt he was feeling.

"I guess you could say that," she replied in an equally soft tone.

A brief silence followed her response, one that was filled with tension that only thickened as time spanned on.

Kouga dropped his luggage and drew a startled Kagome into an embrace. "You know you scared me shitless when I got to Hawaii and they told me that you never arrived." Ignoring the pungent stench of the half breed that clung to her skin, he buried his nose into her sweet smelling hair and pulled her against him. "I thought I'd never see you again."

Kagome stiffened in his semi tight hold, irresolute about if she should accept the friendly gesture or try to squirm her way out of his embrace since Inuyasha was likely to blow a gasket if he caught them in the position. "Kouga." With a great deal of strength, she pushed him away far enough so that she could look him in the eye. "I love Inuyasha."

The brightness in his cobalt orbs dimmed a bit, a bitter smile playing at his lips as his arms loosened from around her. "I know."

Her face scrunched up in perplexity. "Come again?" Perhaps, she had heard him wrong.

With a heavy hearted sigh, Kouga plopped down on the couch next to her. "I said I know," he reiterated softly, his eyes wistful. "I think I've always known, subconsciously speaking, even when you said you hated him after you two had that falling out at the pool. But I thought that if I showered you with all of my affection, all of my love, that you would one way or another, come to love me the way I loved you, and not just as a friend. I've always loved you Kagome, from the first time I laid eyes on you and I wanted you to be mine, but that idiot mutt had already laid claim to you."

Kagome's throat tightened, her eyes beginning to well up with unshed tears. "Kouga-"

He placed a finger on her lips to silence her words. "No, just let me finish. You can imagine how happy I was when you two broke up and I was your knight in shining armor. I knew you never felt the same way I did for you by the look in your eyes. Your eyes never held the same glow, the same sparkle that you used to look at him with. I tried to deny the fact that you would never look at me with the same irrefutable look of love and passion and created a fantasy world in my mind where everything was how I wanted to see it. Ignorance is bliss, is it not?"

A couple of tears trickled down her cheek. "Kouga, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelings or lead you on. I guess after what happened with Inuyasha, I was ready to do anything to forget about him and what he did to me." She looked down shamefacedly. "I took advantage of your kindness and love. Do you think you could find it in your heart to forgive me?" She placed a hesitant hand on his arm.

"I could never be angry at you, Kagome," he said with a small smile, his eyes conveying a sadness that made her heart constrict painfully in her chest. "It will just take me some time to get used to the idea of you and turd face back together again."

"So you do know that Ayame is not an obsessive fan girl of yours?" she inquired, a glint of mischief dancing in her eyes in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

He groaned and rubbed his eyes. "I know. I kind of took my frustration out on her before I left. Is she pissed at me?"

"Au contraire, she is devastated since she thinks that you hate her and her life has been a downward spiral of misery ever since you left her here." She peered into his indigo irises. "She really loves you."

"I know." He winced when she slapped him on the arm.

"And you didn't say anything?"

"What was I supposed to say?" he argued back. "I don't feel that way about her."

"You could try and get to know her better," she suggested.

"We have no chemistry," he pointed out.

"How would you know? You two haven't spent enough time together to know."

"We always argue."

"So do Inuyasha and I and our love is strong."

Kouga bristled at the statement but didn't comment. "Fine," he grumbled, his brows creased in a frown, "We will go on one date and one date only. If there is absolutely no chemistry or spark whatsoever, you will stop trying to force me to get with her."

Kagome squealed in delight and wrapped her arms around his neck in an appreciative hug. "Thank you Kouga." She planted a chaste kiss on his cheek and jumped up. "I'm going to go tell Ayame."

"Don't make me regret this," he complained as she bounced out of the library.

"You won't," she called back and threw open the doors just in time to see Inuyasha scurry to the staircase, an expression of innocence gracing his features. "Inuyasha, you know nothing of subtlety," Kagome teased walking over to where he sat and tweaked his ear.

He growled and pulled her into arms, his eyes narrowing when he smelled the other male's scent on her. "That fucking wolf touched you." A predatory flicker flashed through his amber depths, a wicked grin uplifting the corners of his mouth. "And I know the perfect way of getting rid of his odor."

Before she could question his intentions, he picked her up bridal style and in one single bound, leapt to the top of the stairs and sprinted down the corridor until they were at his room. His lips met hers in yet another feverish kiss that had the butterflies in her stomach swirling in excitement. With Kagome still in his arms, Inuyasha entered the giant bedroom and kicked the doors shut without ever removing his mouth from hers.

His need for her was obvious by the exigency in his actions as he backed her into his bed, his claws ripping off her shirt without regard for how much it cost and tossed it aside.

Kagome broke the kiss to glare at him. "Hey, that was my favorite shirt."

"I'll buy you another," he said, his voice low and husky with want, his eyes darkening with passion and lust as he stared into her soul, pausing only long enough to rip off his own shirt. He needed to mark her as his for all time and to ward off other snooping males. Long, ivory fangs projected from his mouth as he pushed her onto the bed and began ravaging her lips with his own, his pointed teeth grazing the tip of her tongue in such a sensual manner that it had her moaning in response, her back instinctively arching to press against his chest.

With one flick of the wrist, he sliced the front of her bra and flung it on the floor, his mouth swallowing her protests as he hungrily assaulted her sweetness with his tongue, her whimpers and moans music to his ears. Abandoning her swollen lips, for her neck, his tongue flicked out and tasted the sweep of her neck to the juncture where her neck met her shoulder, the place where he would mark her and permanently make her his for all time's sake. He substituted his fangs for his tongue, the sharp incisors scraping in an agonizingly slow motion that it had her trembling and writhing beneath his body.

The shrill ringing of the phone on the nightstand beside his king size bed ruined the sheer rhapsody and rapture that the two lovers had been caught up in.

Kagome struggled to catch her breath as Inuyasha rolled off of her, spewing a multitude of colorful phrases and slashing with extended claws at his comforter in aggravation and anger.

Since he was too upset and swearing so harshly it would scare a sailor off, Kagome took it upon herself to answer his phone. "Hello?" she said into the receiver while shooting a warning glare to lower his voice.

"Kagome? Good you're home. How does it feel to be out of the hospital?" Megumi asked brightly.

Suppressing the urge to slam the phone down, Kagome put as much cheerfulness she could muster into pretending that all was well and she hadn't just interrupted a very intimate moment with her husband. "It feels great. I really have to go; I'm kind of busy…with something." She glared at Inuyasha as he flung a chair into the wall.

"What was that?" her mother-in-law questioned upon hearing the chaos in the background.

"The television," Kagome lied and flung her shoe at Inuyasha to get his attention.

"Oh. Well anyway, the reason I called is because we need both you and Inuyasha to come down to our office so we can settle some business."

"We can't settle it over the phone?" she asked with a beseeching lilt to her tone.

Megumi chuckled. "Oh, Kagome, always the kidder. We'll expect you two in twenty minutes and do tell my son to cut back on the swearing. Goodbye sweetie."

Sighing, Kagome started to put the phone back in its cradle when Inuyasha came out of nowhere and ripped the phone jack out of the wall and sent it hurtling into the door, receiver and all.

"I swear I'm going to fucking kill the next person that can't keep their noses in their own business!" he snarled flexing his claws, red beginning to cloud his vision for the second time that day.

Sliding off of the bed, Kagome hooked her arms freely around his neck and pressed herself against his bare torso, unmindful of her current state of dress. "Come on Inuyasha; let's get this over quickly so we can get back sooner." She laid a sweet kiss on his chest, her warm breath tickling and torturing him simultaneously, and then rested her cheek along his exposed skin.

The crimson in his eyes receded before it could overtake his retinas completely, his longing to maim gradually ebbing away until all that was left was exasperation with the entire situation. "When will they leave us the hell alone," he whined into her hair, his hands caressing the small of her back.

"Hopefully after the next month has passed," she answered thinking back to what their parents had told them about the possibility that someone might want to kill them so the company would be broken back into the original two.

"I don't think I can wait that long," Inuyasha griped sourly.

Kagome stood on her tip toes and licked his lips, a shy blush staining her cheeks at the gesture. "You'll have what you want soon enough."

He grinned wolfishly and brought a hand to tilt her chin towards his. "Damn straight I will." He kissed her again.

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Ayame tried to keep her amusement in check as she glanced between the silent monk and taijiya at separate ends of the dining room table, the tension in the air heavy laden with unspoken resentment and irritation, mostly on Sango's part. She glared at Miroku from the opposite end as he sipped his tea with the utmost of nonchalance and relaxation, the vein in her temple twitching every so often.

"Sango, how about you act your age and not your shoe size?" Ayame suggested. "Then, maybe you will find it in your heart to forgive him for his misdeeds and move on. Holding on to anger shows the depth of our immaturity and inability to behave according to the way adults should conduct themselves. Besides," she added with a small grin, "I'm sure Miroku's groping is just his inherent way of showing his affection for you."

"Inherent, my ass!" Sango directed her fuming gaze from the monk to the youkai. "He's just a dirty, perverted lecher that can't control his raging sex drive for more than a few minutes at a time."

"Hey, I object to that accusation!" Miroku yelled indignantly from the end of the long table.

"You, shut up!" Sango snapped at him. "Nobody's talk to you!"

Miroku shamefacedly returned to his tea, not wanting to upset the taijiya any further for fear of the painful consequences.

"Don't you think that it is kind of petty to hang on to something he wrongly did even after he begged on his knees and bestowed you with flowers and cards and candy?" the red headed girl remarked nibbling on the chocolate pocky that was given as compensation for his transgression to her friend.

"No," she grumbled with little certainty, her resolution to stay angry at him beginning to whittle away.

"Do you really think that any other guy would do all of that for you in order to gain your forgiveness? Don't get me wrong or anything, but there are probably hundreds of women prettier and smarter than you in Tokyo alone that would jump at the chance to get one of the country's most eligible bachelors. And out of all of those women, he chose you, a simple taijiya in training who doesn't give a rat's ass about mink coats, make up or expensive jewelry."

"You make me sound like a country bumpkin," Sango commented dryly.

"My point is you should be grateful and thankful that you have someone like Miroku at your beck and call. The man will do anything for you, I've seen so myself. So what, he has a bit of a problem controlling his wandering hands, some guys have worse habits…I think. Just set some ground rules with him so he knows what is appropriate and what isn't.

"When did you become an expert on relationships?"

Ayame grinned. "I happen to be a specialist in the area of relationships."

Sango smirked, her eyes drifting to an approaching figure that had just entered the room. "We'll see how much of a specialist you are in a second."

Ayame was about to question her friend's choice of responses when the smell of rainforests and the open wilderness hit her like a sack of potatoes on the nose. Her heart skipped a beat as Kouga stepped into her line of vision and took a seat next to her. "Uh, hi Kouga," she greeted nervously, fighting the urge to cast her eyes down when his cobalt orbs settled on hers and ignored Sango's silent snicker.

"Hey Ayame. I just wanted to, uh, ask you if…" He ran an uneasy hand through his hair, suddenly wishing Kagome was here to lessen the awkwardness.

"Ask me what?" the female wolf youkai questioned delicately, confused as to why he was on edge in her presence.

Taking a deep breath, Kouga calmed his nerves and placed his fidgeting hands on the table, folding them to keep them occupied. "I acted like an asshole the last time I saw you. I was frustrated that Kagome was leaving me to go off to Hawaii with Inuyasha for a month and I took that out on you. I didn't mean those God awful things I said to you. I tend to say stupid shit when I'm angry and aggravated-"

"Don't worry about it," Ayame interjected with a shy smile. "Everybody has their bad days."

He smiled hesitantly at her in return, some of the strain in his facial features slackening as he relaxed. "Thanks. And I wanted to know if you would like to accompany me to dinner tomorrow night."

Miroku choked on his tea upon hearing this, the green liquid spewing out of his mouth and onto the satin table cloth. The harsh coughs that wracked his body shattered Sango's stunned daze and she instantly ran to the monk to help him, her anger towards him forgotten in her concern for his wellbeing.

Ayame heard and saw none of what transpired, her heart having stopped. Was she hearing things? Did her one and only love, who had never once acknowledged her existence when he was around Kagome and whose love for her friend blinded him from her love for him, just ask her out on a date? "Come again?" she asked, not bothering to conceal her shock.

Kouga chuckled. "I said, would you care to join me for dinner tomorrow?"

"Are you serious, or is this some kind of cruel joke?" she questioned cautiously. Her heart was in too fragile a state to take any more heartbreak.

"I'm dead serious. Kagome and I talked earlier and have come to terms with our relationship, which we both have agreed to remain only friends. Kagome will always be my first love, but I won't pine over her lost for the rest of my life. It's time to move on and I plan on doing such with you, if you allow me to."

"Sure," Ayame squeaked in an uncharacteristic high pitched voice, a bright grin spreading across her face, her emerald eyes lighting up with unrestrained mirth. "I mean, of course, I'd love to." Gods, she sounded like an idiot.

Kouga smiled and stood. "Then I'll see you tomorrow, say around seven-ish?"

She nodded vigorously, unable to trust her voice to come out right.

"Great. Be dressed to impress. I'll be in the pool if anybody needs me. See you later." With a wave of the hand, he sauntered out, leaving a watery eyed Ayame in his wake.

Once she was sure he was out of earshot, she jumped onto the table and squealed in delight, absolute euphoria overtaking her entire soul. "He asked me on a date! He asked me on a date! He asked me on a date!"

"Ok Ayame, I think we get the point," Sango grinned still absently rubbing Miroku's back from when he had started coughing. "Congrats."

"Oh Sango, this is the happiest day of my life," she said undauntedly scrambling off the table. "I can't wait until Kagome gets back so I can tell her the good news. I must be dreaming. Never in a million years did I think that he would actually go out with me, well not since he fell in love with Kagome, but that's all in the past." She stopped her rant momentarily as another obvious fact dawned on her. Kouga said he was going swimming. The image of him dripping wet with rivulets of water trailing down his physique making her face heat up and desire spike. "I am going for a swim too," she suddenly decided and hurried out of the room to go change into her bikini. No way was she going to give up the chance to see his half naked form.

"I think I'll go swimming as well," Sango murmured, the idea of seeing Kouga glimmering with water not seeming like a bad idea. The thought was deserted when she felt a certain someone's hand stroking her backside. All of the previous vexation she felt towards him came back with a force. Growling, she whirled around, intent on slapping his face for his immoral action, but was stopped in millimeters away from his skin by a firm grip on her wrist.

There was no playful glint in his mauve colored eyes this time. "Sango," he began softly, his voice all seriousness, his grip tightening when she struggled to extricate herself from his grasp. "Do you only think of me as a dirty, perverted lecher?" he asked, a tinge of sadness lacing his words.

She faltered in her response, slightly aback by the gravity and forwardness of his query. "I…" 'No,' Sango shook her head and steeled her nerves, 'I won't let him make me into the bad guy here.' "That is what you are, is it not?" she glared at him. "All you care about is the physical attribute of a relationship. I don't think that this is going to work between us because obviously we are too different and-"

He cut her off in the most unlikely of ways with an action she would have never assumed he was capable of pulling off. His lips burned into hers with such ferociousness, that it caught her off guard completely. Of all the worst case scenarios where she imagined him kissing her, Sango had always envisaged their first kiss would be gentle and hesitant, not on the brink of anguish and so intense that it overrode all coherent thought and speech.

Soon,she found herself lost in his kiss upon submitting to his fervent lips and parted her own, granting him access to the moist chambers of her mouth. The instant she felt his tongue upon her own, a groan escaped her mouth as she welcomed his stroking organ. No guy had ever made her feel so alive, so wanted, so needy for their touch.

Miroku broke apart first, the need for air becoming too great to ignore any longer. He watched her as she tried to regain her composure, his eyes never leaving her flushed face. "Sango," he murmured drawing her into a loose embrace and brought a hand to her chin to tilt back her head so that he could stare into her mesmerizing brown eyes, "Can you believe that I've wanted to do that ever since I've laid eyes on you."

Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest, the intensity of his gaze burning into her soul. She tried to shift her eyes to anywhere other than his hungry purple orbs, but found that she was unable to do so and too speechless to say anything about it.

He bent down to rest his head against her forehead, his breath beginning to even out again. "My dearest Sango, if you don't want me to touch you in public ever again, I'll comply with your wishes. I'll even walk ten feet away from you if that is what you desire. Forgive me for embarrassing you at the hospital. I never meant to hurt you in-"

She effectively cut him off with a soul searing kiss of her own, entrenching her hands in his short locks and pressing herself against his hard form. "Forgiven," she broke apart only to say the one word.

A lecherous grin curved on his mouth, an amused glint shining in his eyes. "My, my, Sango, I had no idea you were so-"

'If this is the only way to get him to shut up, then so be it,' she thought smirking inwardly as she nibbled on his lower lip, 'I could get used to this.'

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"This has got to be the shittiest day I've ever had in my life," Inuyasha grimaced upon entering the house after coming from a thirty minute session with their parents at the office.

"It wasn't so bad," Kagome commented offering him a smile.

He slanted her a look which clearly expressed his view on the subject.

"Hey kid, you should be happy that your parents care so much about your future,"came a deep voice from behind them.

"Koji, when I want your fucking opinion, I'll give it to you! Now leave us the hell alone or next time I'll do more than just throw you down some steps!" he snarled at his bodyguard.

Shrugging uncaringly, the inuyoukai bypassed the seething hanyou and ambled to the kitchen area for some food being that it was a full time job watching out for his hot headed ward.

Inuyasha yelped when a foot slammed down on his own. "What the hell was that for?" he glared at his wife.

"That was uncalled for," she glared right back at him. "You should be happy that I didn't s-i-t you for your rudeness."

"Hi Kagome!" Before she had a chance to react Shippou launched himself into her arms, clad only in swimming shorts and goggles atop his head. "Everybody's going swimming. Do you want to come?" He stared at her hopefully, a goofy smile adorning his face as his bushy tail twitched anxiously.

"Sure, let me go get changed first and then I'll be right out." Kagome ruffled his orange hair and set him back on the floor.

"Ok, see you soon. Bye!" The small kitsune scuttled down the hall, the cute clicking of his claws against the marble floors as he departed bringing a smile to her face. She glanced at her husband, who was muttering to himself, a firm scowl implanted on his face.

Kagome stood on her tip toes and placed a kiss on his cheek before departing, heading off to her room. "When you're done pouting and grumbling, come join us in the pool."

"Keh, I'm not going to some stupid pool with those idiots."

Fifteen minutes later Inuyasha sat, still grumbling to himself sitting at the patio table with the other occupants of the house, one of whom was diving into the pool.

"What's his problem?" Ayame inquired with an arched brow in the hanyou's direction.

Kagome sighed. "Our parents are making us carry out the rest of our so-called internship at their company. So for the past half an hour they briefed us over protocol, what's expected of us, so on and so forth."

"Wow, that really sucks," Shippou said taking a sip of his raspberry smoothie Kaede had concocted and brought out a couple of minutes ago. "Why don't you just say no?"

"Because they'll take away his allowance," Kouga smirked climbing out of the pool and shaking the water out of his soaking wet mane in a manner similar to that of a wet canine.

Inuyasha bristled in irritation as the cold water splattered on him. "Nobody was fucking talking to you, wolf," he spat glaring at him.

"Don't be mad at me because you rely on your mommy and daddy to wipe your ass and spoon feed you," Kouga laughed.

"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome yelled a moment too late and had to watch as the brash hanyou shoved the wolf youkai into the pool. "Remind me to sign you up for anger management classes first thing tomorrow morning."

"I don't have anger problems!" he shouted at her, "People just always seem to piss me off when I'm in a bad mood!"

"Don't yell at me because you're always in a rotten mood!" she retorted standing to her feet and coming face to face with him.

"I'm not yelling!"

"Yes you are!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too and don't argue with me! Women are always right!"

Inuyasha recognized the mischievous sparkle in her eye too late. Kagome propelled him into the swimming pool with all of her strength and he would have been able to jump to the other side had not Kouga latched onto his legs and pulled him underneath.

Everybody laughed as the hanyou broke the surface, sputtering and gasping for air. "You bitch, you planned that didn't you?" he growled playfully at her from the water.

"And what if I did?" she countered sticking out her tongue and began backing up just in case he wanted a little payback.

A smirk curled at his lips. "Then I'll have to settle the score." He sprang out the pool like a tightened coil had been released and bound her with his arms in a constricting hold. Wickedness swirled in his amber depths. "Take a deep breath sweetheart," he whispered softly.

A flicker of fear flashed in her blue eyes as she tried to pry his arms off her. "Wait Inuyasha, all I wanted was a tan. I wasn't planning on-" A scream ripped through her lungs as he jumped back into the pool with her in his arms.

The cold water was a shock to her system and had her glaring hatefully at the hanyou that was grinning at her underwater and who had yet to release her from his hold. The more she struggled the tighter his grip became. She froze when he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Kagome tried to hate him for what he did, but was unable to stop the flood of love that prevailed over all else, clearing her mind of everything but him, his warm embrace, and his kiss. Her legs wrapped effortlessly around his waist in the weightless environment and her arms wound around his neck.

They emerged from the depths of the water seconds later still in each other's arms. Her intoxicating scent of jasmine had Inuyasha taking deep breaths, almost causing hyperventilation. It amazed him to no end the effect she had on him. No woman could compare to his wench. She was perfect.

Having regained her breath, Kagome cocked her head to the side and stared into his distant eyes. "Inuyasha? You ok?"

He blinked, her melodic voice bringing him back to Earth. "Why wouldn't I be ok?" he answered rubbing his nose against her wet neck, his hands cupping her bottom to support her up.

"You look like you were somewhere else for a moment there."

"I was just marveling in your beauty." His golden irises settled on her radiant blue ones.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Kagome grinned.

"Who said I was trying to get anywhere?" he said in a low, husky voice that sent shivers skimming across her wet skin.

"Inuyasha!" Kaede called from the deck. "Ye has a guest waiting for thee in the foyer."

"Tell them to fuck off!" He barked at her, never removing his gaze from his wife's.

"They say it is impertinent that they speak with thee at once."

The hanyou growled in irritation and jumped out of the pool in one bound before setting Kagome on the ground. "I'll be right back." He nipped her earlobe before dashing off into the interior of the house, wanting to get back to his prior activity as soon as possible.

"My, aren't you two cozy with each other," Miroku said with a sly grin.

Kagome cheeks flared with color. "I'm not the only one getting cozy with someone," she responded wryly not to be outdone by a monk, referring to the girl that sat snuggly atop his lap.

Sango buried her face in Miroku's chest to hide her red face. "It's a lapse in sanity," she lied.

Kagome couldn't help but grin at her friends, including the two youkai who were at the shallow end of the pool, talking conversationally and really getting to know each other. It seemed as though everything was finally coming together. She glanced down to where Inuyasha had been sitting to see his towel laying disregarded on the ground. "Kaede is going to throw a fit if she sees him tracking water on the marble floors." Swiftly bending down to pick up the terrycloth towel, Kagome followed the trail of water into the house.

"I'll be right back guys," she said, though doubting if anybody actually heard her.

Barely audible voices could be heard coming from the foyer as she made her way through the maze of corridors to the entrance hall.

"Hey Inuyasha, take your towel so that you don't…" She trailed off upon noticing the guest that had decided to grace them with their presence, apprehension gripping her chest. "Kikyo? What are you doing here?"

"Kagome, go back to the pool," Inuyasha commanded her in a tight voice, his narrowed gaze never leaving the super model, thin female facing him.

"Kagome, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Kikyo said ignoring the hanyou, her painted lips uplifting into an amused smile.

"Yeah, four years," Kagome said, more so to herself than anybody else as she came to stand beside her husband. "Is there a particular reason you're here?" she asked, unsure if she wanted to know the truth. Something told her it wasn't good. The possibility of Inuyasha cheating on her crossed her mind, but was quickly banished. He loved her and only her. There was no other woman, there couldn't be. They had only been home a couple of days and had renewed their love for each other. So the likelihood that he had lied and wasn't completely devoted to her was slim to nil…right?

Seeing the uncertainty and doubt in his wife's eyes, Inuyasha stepped in front of Kagome, fully blocking out the view of the other woman. "Kagome, it is not what you think," he grabbed her arms, "I don't know why the hell this bitch is here. I haven't seen her in years. And," he turned around to glare at the polished woman before them, "if she doesn't give me an answer to why the fuck she set foot in my house, I'm going to throw her out."

Kikyo smirked. "I see you haven't changed a bit since I last saw you, which was about a year ago was it not?"

The muscle in his jaw ticked. "What's your point?"

"My point? My point is this." She turned to the front doors. "Shinju, could you come in here please?"

No sooner had the order left her mouth when a broad-shouldered man with eyes the color of a raging storm stepped in, a package bundled in a blanket in one arm. With his free hand, the raven haired man lowered a section of the cloth to reveal a golden eyed, white haired infant with a pacifier in its mouth as he observed his surroundings with keen interest.

"I think it's about time you pay up for child support, don't you?"

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**AN**: Interesting development, to say the least, wouldn't you say?


	19. The Truth

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but the plotline.

**AN**: Hello people, hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long. First and foremost, thank you all for your reviews and feedback. I love you all so much! You guys are really worked up about the Kikyo and child factor that's being incorporated. :P Ok, I've gotten a couple reviews where people are telling me that this recent turn of events has turned into soap opera with all the baby mama drama. Let me clear the air. :steps on soap box and clears throat: I have had the outline to this story for some time now. All major events that have occurred have been a part of a my grand scheme and nothing I did was right off the top of my head, especially Kikyo coming into the picture with Inuyasha's so called child. Although I don't like the idea, it has to be done and in the future, if you continue reading, you'll know why. And for those who are confused as to whether Inuyasha is a virgin or not, I advice you to read this chapter.

Big thanks to **Kimmie** for helping me out with this chapter and for eliminating all of my errors and typos. :hands beta bouquet of roses:

And for those who want to be alerted every time I update, check out my page and click on the link to sign up. You can thank **Kimmie** for that too.

**Dawn Sweetie**: Thank you for giving me feedback on my story and on my grammar usage. :blushes: I've always hated English even though I love writing. I'll definitely go eradicate the errors in the last chapter as soon as I get a chance. Thank you!

**Slant-eyes03**: I can understand your obvious issue with the current change of events that the story has taken. Hopefully I explained it well enough in the previous paragraph why things are the way they are. And if it helps you rest better at night, I'll leave you with this. Things aren't always what they seem. ;)

**Thea**: Well, I hope I cleared things up for you enough in the previous paragraph. You'll have to understand that everything in my story has a purpose, including the reappearance of Kikyo and the baby. I was in no way intending for the story to turn into a soap opera since that's not the directing I was heading in. I don't plan on making Kagome into a sniveling, whining little girl who cries when something doesn't go her way. In fact, she will come to realize things about herself and their relationship within the next couple of chapters. Thank you for your feedback and criticism. It's greatly appreciated.

**Asya18**: If you don't wish to continue reading, I'm fine with that though you won't get to see how things turn out in the end. And I know that it's very cliché using Kikyo as the antagonist in the story but it is for a better cause. I portrayed Kikyo in such a role because the story needed a person who would challenge the main couple's conception of love. Only if Kagome and Inuyasha are able to overcome this ordeal, will their love and bond continue to grow and strengthen. Thank you for your criticism and I hope that you read this chapter before completely writing off the story.

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The Truth

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"I think it's about time you pay up for child support, don't you?"

Kagome's jaw dropped open, the impact of the situation hitting her like a punch in the stomach. It felt as if a hand had reached inside of her chest and was slowly but surely compressing all of the air out of her lungs, leading her to think that perhaps this was all some kind of twisted nightmare she would hopefully wake up from really soon. It had to be a nightmare because had not Inuyasha in fact told her in the beginning that he was still a virgin? And virgins don't have females with questionable pasts and reputations randomly popping up claiming they were mothering their illegitimate child.

She was lying. She had to be lying. The child couldn't be her hanyou's child. Inuyasha wouldn't lie to her about being a virgin or withhold vital information about having a child by _her_ of all people. She was the one who ruined their relationship in the first place.

"Inuyasha," she ripped her gaze from the yawning baby to the pale form of her husband, struggling to force oxygen back into her lungs and praying her voice wouldn't crack, "what she's saying, it's not true….right? It…it can't be true," Kagome stumbled over her words, attempting to rationalize the possible likelihoods that the child might be fathered by another white haired, golden eyed inuyoukai in her mind while fighting off the sudden wave of nausea.

Thrown amber eyes stared into an identical pair of orbs. "It…it can't be mine," Inuyasha whispered, his voice thick with emotion as he tried to fathom why the little bundle before him smelled of his and Kikyo's mingled scents.

Kikyo rolled her eyes at the hanyou's phased expression. "It is yours Inuyasha." She abruptly and none too gently seized the baby out of the other man's arms and stripped him of the his blanket revealing the rest of the baby's body along with a pair of fuzzy, snow white doggy ears atop his tiny head. "Believe me now?"

"How," Inuyasha managed to sputter, the blood draining from his face completely.

"Oh, I can answer that to you," Kikyo replied handing the child back to Shinju while he continued to scope the place out. "Remember that wild graduation party you threw last year, where everybody who was anybody was invited to?"

"I don't fucking remember inviting you!" Inuyasha snapped, his composure slowly returning.

"Even though you forgot to invite me, I thought I'd stop by. Not that you'd remember. When I got there, you were so drunk, you could barely see straight. Now then, since you remember not inviting me, you must recall inviting me up to your room to have a little fun?" She smirked when the little bit of color that had returned to his face faded again. "You pulled me into your room and threw me on the bed where you…screwed the brains out of my head until passing out later on." She tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "Granted, you did keep calling out Kagome's name every time we climaxed, but we were having such a good time, I didn't have the heart to correct you."

"You lying bitch!" Inuyasha spat, unable to quell the quickly arising disgust and anger within him at the thought. "I would never fuck you, even in a drunken stupor! Get the hell out of my house!" Who was she coming into his place trying to destroy his happy home?

She rolled her eyes and readjusted her purse strap on her shoulder. "I didn't want to take this to court and make it public, but I will not struggle to raise this child on my own while you selfishly wallow in your money and ignore your duties as a father. Can you not smell his scent? And don't try to lie. I've already got the DNA test back from the doctor. He. Is. Yours." Kikyo opened her bag and took out a white envelope. "Here are the results if you need more proof." She waved it tauntingly in front of his face.

Kagome backed away from Inuyasha, her hand over her mouth to hold back the bile that had arisen in her throat, her face a frozen mask of shock, the dagger of betrayal that had pierced a hole into her heart killing her from the inside out. It was too much. It was all too much. The child was his. He knew it was his but wasn't willing to admit it. The tightness in her chest grew tighter, the knife in her heart twisting within the organ agonizingly. The walls of the spacious foyer seemed to close in on her. She had to get out of there.

"Fuck you and your results! I don't care what some doctor s-" All of the anger instantly dwindled from his body as his wife brushed past him and their unwanted company en route for the front doors. "Kagome, wait!" Panicked, Inuyasha ran after her and grabbed her hand.

"Don't touch me!" she snarled wrenching her limb from his claws, blue eyes ablaze with fury, successfully concealing all the bitterness, betrayal, hurt, and distress that was raging inside her soul.

Pain reflected in his amber depths. "Kagome, please, don't listen to her." He reached for her hand, shock registering on his face when she recoiled from his touch.

Kagome leveled her irregular breathing and focused on getting out her next few words. "Inuyasha," she said evenly, her eyes averted to the spiral staircase, incapable of looking him in the eyes for fear that she would break down, "tell me the truth. Is he or is he not your child? We weren't together during that point in your life, so don't give me that crap about you being faithful to only me."

"I know that we weren't together then but I told you that I couldn't bring myself to sleep with any girl, Kikyo included. In fact, I haven't even spoken to her since the day at the pool. I don't know what the hell she's talking about," he implored earnestly, his hands itching to reach out and encompass her in his arms or at least touch her.

Blue eyes immediately trained on him, the fire within burning with hatred. "Don't lie to me Inuyasha and stop evading my question. Is it or isn't it your child?"

The blood in his veins turned cold with fear at the ire and repulsion in her eyes directed at him. He was losing her. "The kid has my scent and the Takeda traits but that doesn't mean-"

"That's all I needed to hear." She turned her back on him and opened the front doors.

"Wait!"

"Why should I?" she snapped whirling around to stare him down face to face. "You obviously didn't!"

"Damnit wench, I did have that graduation party and I did get smashed but I sure as hell didn't sleep with her! I remember clear as day waking up the next morning alone in bed!"

"I left before you woke up," Kikyo cut in, all too happy to be of some help in clearing up the matter.

"Sitsitsitsitsit!"

Not bothering with the usual expletives that customarily accompanied his bouts with the floor, the hanyou struggled against the pull of the spell, picking up his head to take one last look at his love as she yanked open the doors and desperately racked his brain for something to say that would make her believe him. "Please Kagome," Inuyasha pleaded, his voice cracking and wavering with barely contained emotion, his golden eyes conveying the pain and anxiety that was violently clawing at his soul, "don't leave me. I need you. I love you. I won't…I can't go on without you. Please, don't abandon me." She couldn't leave him now, not when he was so close to having her forever.

Kagome hesitated, her hand trembling on the handle of the door, his heartfelt words tearing her apart inside. Tears pricked the backs of her eyeballs, but she refused to give in and steeled her resolve as well as her voice. "I'm sorry Inuyasha," she said calmly, "I'm not abandoning you, I just need some air; some time to think. I'll be back later." With that said, she ran out of the house as fast as her legs could carry her, the doors slamming behind her.

"Kagome!" he yelled, and snarled intolerantly against the invisible restraints until the subduing spell wore off. No sooner had it let up when he was off the ground, racing outside just in time to see her Aston Martin barrel out of the garage at breakneck speed and down the gravel driveway.

"Kagome," he murmured brokenly, his ears drooping against his head dismally. She had said that she would be back later, but that didn't stop his heart from crying out in pain.

* * *

Kagome stamped down on the gas pedal, her knuckles white on the steering wheel as the wind whipped through her raven tresses, sending them flailing all over the place. Discounting the coldness that seeped into her scalp attributable to the wetness of her hair, she submerged herself with focusing on zipping and weaving in and out of the slow traffic pattern. It had been too long since she last drove. She had forgotten the feeling of absolute freedom that came with flying down the road at top speed without a care in the world.

A sudden image of the baby popped into her head, inflicting another piercing jab of betrayal to her pain laden heart. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Why was she so worked up over this? They weren't together during that point in his life. And it wasn't as if what he did was intentional. It was just an honest mistake. So it would be pointless to hold a grudge against Inuyasha since it wasn't his fault that he got drunk at one of his nefarious parties and screwed Kikyo in his inebriated state of consciousness because that was the right thing to do, right? Somehow, that just didn't seem fair to her.

The black sedan in the lane next to her honked angrily as the Aston Martin veered dangerously close to them. Kagome snapped out of her daze and yanked her silver vehicle back into the center of her lane. Gods, she needed a drink. A couple of shots of tequila would definitely do the trick. But since she was nowhere near a bar, she elected to stop by the marina. Her father used to take her down by the water when she was smaller before his company hit it big and his time wasn't consumed 24/7 with his work. Staring at the water always had a calming affect on her whenever she looked out across the crashing waves towards the horizon.

It took her no time flat to arrive at the marina given that she had been there so many times in the past and was driving over ninety miles per hour. Kagome pulled her expensive vehicle up alongside a shipment of crates and put it into park. Cutting the engine, Kagome released a shaky breath and rested the bottom of her chin atop of the steering wheel, her eyes closing for a moment as the emotions and thoughts she had tried to suppress upon departing the house flooded her mind full force, with the absence of something to fully concentrate on.

There was no denying it. It was a child of Takeda blood, no doubt. It had to be Inuyasha's. Sesshoumaru wasn't one to lower himself by sleeping around with women, especially a woman like Kikyo. All of his cousins lived in America, so unless Kikyo made a round trip to the US to screw one of them just to get back at Inuyasha and impose on his life for whatever twisted reason, the baby had to be his. The very conception made her sick to her stomach.

Why did everything have to go wrong now, just when her life was beginning to come together? It seemed as though every time she came even a miniscule close to achieving true happiness with Inuyasha, an obstacle always managed to get in the way of their being with each other. And on both occasions that obstacle had been Kikyo. What was it with her and causing disturbances between she and Inuyasha? It was like she had an internal beckon to hone in exactly when their relationship was at its peak and decide to come in and ruin things.

'Perfect timing as always,' Kagome thought bitterly unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the car door. Maybe the fresh smell of salt water would help clear her mind.

A calloused hand clamped tightly around her neck before she could place her foot on the wooden dock and roughly dragged her out of her vehicle.

"Surprise, surprise you little bitch."

Fear and panic gripped her chest as she stared into the shockingly familiar face of the chauffeur who had driven her and Inuyasha to the airstrip and to the premeditated plane crash, the black patch over his right eye making him seem like an even more intimidating foe. "W-what do y-you want?" she managed to squeeze out within his constricting hold, which only got tighter as he increased the pressure against her windpipe.

"What do I want?" he reiterated, a cold smirk curving at his thin lips, his murderous brown eyes boring into hers. "I want to take my claws and peel the very skin off of your entire body or perhaps tear open your stomach and watch your innards seep out as you die a slow agonizing death for what you did to me." He held up his other hand, the hand that was missing both a pinky and a thumb, both of which were covered with white bandages, and lifted the patch from his eye.

If there hadn't been a hand wringing the very life out of her or if tiny black dots hadn't been obscuring her vision, Kagome would have without doubt threw up then and there. All that was left of his eye was a dark cavern of dried blood within his skull, gory severed tendons hanging limply within the center of his socket.

"Not exactly a sight for sore eyes am I?" he growled darkly lowering the patch back over what was left of his right eye, "This is what I get when I leave a job incomplete. Lucky for you it's not up to me to determine what fate has in store for you, but my employer who'd rather for you to die with some manner of dignity." Deserting her throat for her ponytail, the neko youkai gave an unsympathetic yank to her fastened mane and began dragging her gasping form towards the edge of the pier where dock met ocean.

"Stay put wench, I'll be right back." Shoving her roughly onto the wood waterfront, he walked off in the direction of his black sedan. With one click of his automated key, he popped the trunk to the vehicle and began rummaging within its contents. He returned within seconds with duck tape and a rope in hand, the corners of his mouth upturned in a malicious smirk as he gazed down at her unmoving body. "Time to die little girl."

He bent down, assuming that she had passed out from lack of oxygen and that his task would be smooth sailing from here on out. Kagome cracked an eye, waiting for the exact moment when his hand reached for hers, and then with all the force she could conjure, swung her leg out and swept his feet from under him with her leg. Caught of guard by her sudden brazenness, his eye widened in surprise as he fell flat on his back with a loud thud.

Kagome scrambled up as quickly as she could to her feet and made a mad dash for her car. Diving into her silver vehicle, she slammed the door shut, locked the doors, and reached to turn the key to the ignition only to find that it was gone. "Where are my keys?" She frantically searched for them along the dashboard and on the floor, her anxiety and fear skyrocketing with the passing of each second.

An unexpected knock to her window disrupted her frenzied hunt. Kagome looked up, the rhythm of her heart skipping a beat when she saw her keys dangling from his distorted hand. "I do think that you left these behind," he said with a cynical sneer.

Kagome didn't waste another moment staring at his profile through the window. But before she had to clamber across to the passenger side, her attacker smashed through the glass, grabbed her by the back of the neck, and wretched her violently out of the splintered window. She smothered a cry, the biting sting of broken glass cutting into her skin sending pain shooting throughout her system.

"Bad move sweetie." He dumped her on the floor in a bloodied heap. "If you sit still and shut up, this will all be over soon." He pinned her down with one knee on her stomach so he could tie the noose around her neck and growled in irritation when she started flailing her arms in a desperate attempt to defend herself, her nails raking across his face and along his arms while he tried to restrain her as she screamed bloody murder in hopes that someone would come to her rescue.

Frustrated now with her wild thrashes and pleas for help, the neko youkai took his elbow and rammed it forcefully against the side of her head. Pain like no other exploded through her senses, a flood of white obscuring her vision and sending her spiraling into a world of dizziness. Kagome screwed her eyes shut to block out the throbbing pain of the crack to her skull and the blinding whiteness that accompanied it.

"This ought to shut you up." He slapped a piece of duct tape over her mouth and roped her wrists together before she could retaliate, his brows lowering in a frown as he surveyed his handiwork. "This was supposed to look like an accident, but I suppose dead is dead either way." His usual twisted smirk returned. "I could always make it look as though you committed suicide after discovering that your mate fucked another woman and fathered a bastard son. By the time they find your body, if they do at all, the only thing that will be left of you is a half masticated cor-…ump!"

'_Ump?__ What is ump?'_ Hesitantly, Kagome opened her eyes and widened them further at the sight that awaited her.

Koji cracked his knuckles, a half smile curving on his face as the neko youkai fell to the ground unconscious. "Are you ok, Kagome-san?"

Relief spread through her like wildfire, effectively chasing away the fear and panic that had held her soul captive for the last ten minutes. She nodded to affirm that she was fine.

The inuyoukai nudged the fallen assailant with his foot to ensure that he was out for the count before stepping over his body to assist his ward with her bondages. With one flick of the wrist, Koji used his claws to slice the ropes that had apprehended her wrists and quickly ripped the duct tape from her mouth.

Wincing at the sharp sting that came with the action, Kagome took the bodyguard's outstretched hand and allowed herself to be pulled up off the ground to her feet. "Thank you Koji. How did you know I was here?"

"Did you really think you could get away without us knowing where you were?" he teased to ease some of the tension that lay heavily in the air.

"You all weren't the ones I was trying to escape from," she muttered rubbing her tender wrists.

"All of your vehicles have been rigged with a tracking device that allows us to know where you are should you choose to go out for a joy ride without informing us of your plans just in case something like this happens." He dropped to his knees and pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his jacket pocket. "The police should be arriving to pick up this guy within a matter of minutes," he said snapping the metal cuffs around the neko's wrists, his pale green orbs resting on the weary girl before him. "They might want you to make a statement."

Kagome's chest heaved tiredly, her ears picking up the wailing of sirens in the distance. "Do I have to?"

He gave her a look of understanding. "No. We can wait until tomorrow after you are all patched up and rested. Would you like me to take you home?"

"Do you think you could take me to my parents' house? I think I'll just stay there for a few days, if you don't mind."

"Not at all."

The police cruisers made their entrance minutes later and after Koji briefly explained what had transpired and that the witness would be giving her statement the first thing in the morning, they departed.

Neither of them said anything more the entire trip to her parent's home. All Kagome wanted to do was curl up on her bed and go to sleep. This had been the day from hell. The rollercoaster of emotions and turmoil her mind and body had gone through was enough to fall out in exhaustion. She was emotionally and mentally drained. She found out that her husband had fathered her worst enemy's child and had almost gotten killed by a malformed attacker.

* * *

"How do we know that this testimony isn't falsified?" Sesshoumaru questioned, aloof golden eyes trained on the woman across the table, the DNA results from the paternity test lying scattered before him.

Kikyo sucked her teeth in annoyance. "What is it with you people and not accepting the truth for what it is? The child is Inuyasha's, you know it, he knows it. Accept it."

Sesshoumaru stared at her unconvinced. "Is there anyone who could act as an alibi in your account?"

"Miroku can." She turned her brown eyes on the monk sitting on the other side of the hanyou.

"Is that true Miroku?" Sango asked her boyfriend, dreading the answer to the question for fear that it would confirm what Kikyo was saying.

The monk grimaced, the memories of that night clear as day to him since he hadn't been stone drunk like his friend. "She was there," he sighed regrettably, "though I only saw her for a fleeting moment. I was walking into the kitchen to pick up some…sodas when I thought I saw her pass by me and go into the hallway. I figured I was just imaging things since we hadn't talked to her since sophomore year."

Kikyo blinked innocently at Sesshoumaru. "I told you I was telling the truth."

"So why after all this time are you contacting my brother for child support when you knew since last year that you were pregnant?" the taiyoukai fired unrelentingly.

She sighed and looked at her hands that rested in her lap. "I was too ashamed to tell anyone except for my parents and a few of my close friends. I know I was a big flirt and tease back then, but somehow, being pregnant changed all that. I guess having a child, changed my entire outlook on life. I decided to have the baby and not to go on to college. I got a job working as a secretary so I could provide for my child without depending on anyone else."

"That still doesn't explain why you choose now to come out in the open with your illegitimate child," Sesshoumaru said, the timbre of his voice deadpan serious, his eyes straying to the sleeping bundle in her companion's arms in the chair next to her.

"I was getting to that part. Anyway, a few months after the baby was born, I saw the article in the newspaper about their wedding. At first I was indifferent about the whole affair, but then I started to think. Why should I suffer and struggle to put food on the table for myself and my child when Inuyasha is living the high life with his new wife? I was going to come forward sooner but then I heard about their plane crashing in the ocean. I thought he was dead until a week later they were found marooned on an island and brought them back to Tokyo. So I waited another week until things returned to normal, and here I am. And frankly, I'm tired of waiting around to be heard."

"Until further evidence can be established in regards to the parentage of the child, we will not be signing over anything." Sesshoumaru pushed the papers over to her.

Something akin to anger flitted across the woman's face before being quickly concealed behind a facade of nonchalance. "I didn't want to go to court with this. I was hoping that everything would be settled peacefully behind closed doors since I know that your families don't want any negative attention at such a crucial point in your merger, but know this: I will do anything and everything it takes to secure the future of my child." Her brown eyes bore defiantly into his icy golden ones.

The stoic taiyoukai stared back at her unflinchingly. "I will schedule a paternity test for tomorrow at 9 o'clock sharp which will be conducted by the Takeda family doctor."

A flicker of something that could have been imagined left as soon as it appeared within her chocolate depths. Her eyes narrowed. "We don't have to go through with another paternity test by a certified doctor. This one should be suffice."

"Well it's not. Either you go through with the testing or we can take this to court, and rest assured that I have the best lawyers at my beck and call and I will not hesitate to disclose whatever surreptitious scheme you are trying to pull here to the public."

The nerve in her jaw began to twitch. Without another word, Kikyo stiffly stood to her feet. "Shinju, we're leaving." Nodding curtly in adieu to the occupants of the room, she briskly pivoted on her heels and left.

"So, what's the synopsis?" Miroku asked the taiyoukai once he was positive their guests were out of earshot.

Silver brows drew together, the corners of his mouth tugging downward into a frown. "There's something wrong with this picture. I'm going to have my people do some digging as soon as possible. Something about her story doesn't stick and that pup…" His frown deepened, "there's something peculiar about that pup's scent. It smells of our clan and then it doesn't."

"So, do you think it's really Inuyasha's child?" Kouga asked from his propped position against the doorframe.

"It could and could not. At this point in time I don't have enough information to give you a straight answer. Usually members of an inuyoukai clan are able to verify whether a pup is of their blood by scent, but that pup's scent is somehow…distorted," he said for lack of better word.

"How can somebody's scent be distorted?" Sango inquired, her face scrunched in confusion.

Irritation flashed through his eyes at their ignorance. "Usually there is a stable balance or combination of both parents' scents on a pup. But in that pup's scent there was instability in the equilibrium. There was too much of her scent and not enough of Inuyasha's. This is what causes the distortion. Now, where is my idiot brother so that I may speak with him?"

"Upstairs," Ayame sighed. "After Kagome left, he started yelling and cursing at Kikyo for ruining things for him so heatedly that Kouga and Miroku had to restrain and drag him to his room for fear he would hurt her. He made a lot of commotion at first, but it all stopped a couple minutes later. He refused to come down when you got here and we haven't heard a peep from him since."

Sesshoumaru inhibited the urge to roll his eyes at his brothers' incapability to act his age and handle his own business. It was just like him to avoid the problem instead of facing it head on. "Direct me to his quarters."

'_Kagome.'_ Inuyasha's heart sank further into the pit of his stomach as he thought about how she had looked at him earlier, the betrayal and hurt and anger that swirled in her sapphire depths clawed mercilessly at his soul. He had wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and reassure her that it wasn't his child; that he had had nothing to do with Kikyo ever since she walked out of his life; that the constant thoughts and memories of her prevented any chances of other women from holding a permanent place in his life.

She hadn't believed that the kid wasn't his, and why should she? He had given her reason enough after confessing that he had been a bit of a livewire, the latter part of his life while on the island. He had been wild, his behavior had been a little, well really off the chain, but he had changed for the better ever since she stepped back into his life.

The past didn't matter anymore, or at least wouldn't have had there not been a little bundle of aggravation that recently entered his life. When kids were involved, it changed everything. His stomach turned in aversion for himself. What if he had slept with Kikyo? And what if she wasn't lying? But wouldn't he remember loosing his virginity? Then again he could barely remember what he had for dinner last night. How the hell was he supposed to recall if he slept with some random chick in a drunken haze of stupidity and lack of judgment?

'_But with Kikyo of all people?'_ The bitch was his sworn enemy. When Kagome withdrew from their school after Kikyo and her evil posse spray painted the cruel slander up on the walls of every corridor then tried to hook up with him since his ex was out of the picture, he had told her off. Just because Kagome wasn't in his life anymore didn't mean he was going to date the very bitch that had started all the drama in the first place.

'_Maybe this was her way of getting back at me; at us,'_ Inuyasha thought grimly, _'and what a way to hit me where it hurts. __Kagome.'_ It was no wonder she left him. He would understand if she wanted nothing more to do with him, while it did nothing to soothe the utter despair and worthlessness that overtook his soul with her no longer by his side.

His ears suddenly swiveled in the direction of his locked doors, forewarning him of the approach of a visitor. "Go away," he growled at his brother, not in the mood for another one of his lectures.

"Since when do I take orders from a half breed?" Sesshoumaru countered smoothly from the opposing side of the doors.

"Since now, you pompous ass."

The locked handles of the doors were abruptly wretched through the other side, the mahogany wood splintering loudly in response as the impervious taiyoukai pushed the doors open. Sesshoumaru scowled upon entering the unlighted room. The room had, in the simplest of words, been desecrated beyond recognition. The wallpaper had been shredded to tatters, some of it still clinging flimsily to the wall. The bed, or what was left of it anyway, had been split down the middle, the comforter and sheets lay scattered in tatters amongst the other debris in the aftermath of the hanyou's rampage. Mirrors were smashed, dressers and drawers lay broken in pieces, the sofas had been ripped apart, and the window curtains had been torn down.

A pair of golden eyes glittered in a dark corner of the room regarding the unsolicited visitor warily. "Why the hell are you here?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "That much should be obvious."

Inuyasha didn't respond immediately, but when he did, none of the malice and irritation that he had spoken with previously belied his voice. "How'd it go?"

"We'll know for certain tomorrow after another paternity test is administered," he responded, not wanting to instill false hope with his recent findings that could have been his imagination. But then again, he was not one to imagine.

The hanyou sighed regrettably and slammed his head against the wall he was leaning against. "I'm such a fool."

"You don't need to tell me. I already know."

"She left me, but I guess you already knew that too," he added bitterly. "We've been through a lot of shit, the both of us, whether it was together or separated. I believed that all of the obstacles and other crap we were subjected too only helped solidify our feelings for each other. You know, make our bond stronger than before. I mean, I know we haven't gone through the inuyoukai mating ritual yet, hell; we've hardly gotten to third base without someone interrupting us. But even though I haven't given her my mark yet and officially joined our souls together, it's like we already share a special bond, something that can't be undone."

"If this bond is so strong, then why are you up here moping and acting like she's never going to come back?"

His ears drooped slightly, his eyes glazing over wistfully. "Because for some reason, I feel as though nothing will be the same again, at least not with this kid in the picture. I already feel as though she's shutting me out of her life. Just a couple of minutes ago, her brother Souta called and said she had almost been killed and was staying over at her parents' place for the time being. She didn't want to talk to me." He looked up uncertainly to his brother. "Do you think I should go over there and make sure that she's ok?"

"Do you really believe that your love for her and hers of you is strong?"

"Yes," Inuyasha answered, unsure of what that had to do with his going to see his wife.

"Then trust your instincts and let them guide you in the right direction. I know you want to see how your mate is faring, but I think that she needs this time to herself to think things over. If this woman really loves you, then she will need no incentive to come back to you or reassure that the pup is yours. If she loves you enough, she will come back on her own free will because, if what you say is true about the bond that you two share, it will only strengthen."

He was right. If Kagome truly did love him, she would come back to him regardless if the pup was his or not. His lips curled into a smile. "That's not half bad advice Fluffy, thanks."

The taiyoukai bristled at the nickname. "Do not address me by that ridiculous name."

"Whatever you say, Fluffy." Inuyasha grinned when his brother began to growl in a dangerously low tone.

Without a backwards glance, Sesshoumaru exited the room. "And do clean up this pig sty of yours. What woman in her right mind would want to consummate her feelings for you in a room that looked as though a tornado tore through it?"

"Keh," Inuyasha blushed, glad that his brother's back was turned so he wouldn't see his beet red face. With a considerable load lifted from his chest, the hanyou came to his feet and looked around at the extent of the damage he had caused in his moment of fury. Sheepishly, he began to pick up the ripped pieces of clothing and tossed them in a pile near the balcony doors. He had to get things ready for Kagome's return.

'_And what if she doesn't return?'_ a small, taunting voice in the recesses of his mind sneered.

That stopped Inuyasha in his tracks, his heart clenching with fear. What if she didn't return? What if she didn't want anything more to do with him now that there was a possibility that he might be a father to another woman's son?

'_No._' Inuyasha banished the negative thoughts from his mind. _'I have to think positive here.' _Kagome wouldn't just up and leave him out of the blue because of this little obstacle.' They had been through far much worse and their love had become stronger because of it. This was only another hurdle that they would certainly overcome. _'She'll come back. We love each other too much to let it all be thrown away by some complication.'_

The irritating voice in the back of his mind that failed to agree with this assessment laughed at him.

* * *

End.

* * *

**AN**: Hopefully, I'll get the next chapter out before I ship out for college in a couple of weeks. Well, cheerio until next time chaps. Lots of love!

_**Jade Catseye**_


	20. The Reconciling

**Disclaimer**: You know the deal. This is getting redundant. ::holds up sign:: I don't own Inuyasha. That right is exclusively reserved to Rumiko Takahashi and crew.

**AN**: Hey people. No I'm not dead. Lol. One word: college. I'm having a double shot of life on the rocks so updates will be really slow from now on. Balancing partying and studying and trying to find time to sleep is no joke. Anyway, hope you like the update. I kind of wrote it in a rush since I haven't updated in a month and feel kind of bad, so forgive any mistakes and whatnot. I know you all are wondering about the origins of Kikyo's child, but fear not, all will be revealed soon since the story is starting to wind down, so stay tuned.

Big thanks to **Kimmie** for taking time out to edit while being busy herself. And thanks to all of my reviewers for giving me feedback and telling me how much you like the story. I love you all! Enjoy!

**_Dawn Sweetie_**: Thanks for the review and tips for my story. I would gratefully appreciate it if you helped beta my stories since my current beta doesn't have enough time in her schedule to edit my stuff. Email me and we'll talk more. Thanks!

**_Thyran_**: First off, I always appreciate constructive criticism in regards to my work. When you said that the merger is complete and to stop dragging the story out, I would just like to tell you that perhaps you should reread the homecoming since I describe in detail why the merger is only partially complete and the loop holes that are incorporated within it. Everybody is entitled to their opinions, but you really should read up on things before you try and justify your claims.

**The Reconciling **

_Click. Click. Click. Click. Click._

Sesshoumaru arched a silver brow in response to the relentless tapping of his brother's claws against the oak table in the dining room hall that were currently waiting in for the child in question and his mother so the DNA testing could be put under way.

_Click. Click. Click. Click. Click_.

"Would you desist with that infernal racket," the taiyoukai glared icily at the hanyou.

"Keh. This is my house. I can do whatever I damn well please," Inuyasha grumbled irritably, but stopped tapping his claws nonetheless, his eyes shifting to his Rolex for the umpteenth time that morning. "She's an hour late."

"You think?" Sesshoumaru countered dryly.

"Damnit!" Snarling, Inuyasha jumped up and flung the chair he had been sitting in into the opposing wall furiously, the expensive piece of furniture shattering into tiny pieces of splintered wood. "That bitch isn't coming because she knows that kid is a fucking fraud," he growled, his fangs glinting sharply in the mid morning light as he physically restrained himself from tearing the entire room to smithereens with his bare claws. "I don't have time for this shit. I need to see Kagome now!"

"Have patience whelp," Sesshoumaru said lowly, his growing annoyance with his brother's impudence belying his words. "Now sit down and at least have some respect for Dr. Shizumo for coming all the way out here to clean up after your misdoings."

The older inuyoukai chuckled at this. "Oh, no need for such dramatics Sesshou. I'm all too familiar with Inuyasha's mannerisms and bouts of frustration. I have been conducting you alls check ups since you were pups."

"We would like to bestow our deepest apologies for the delay in the procedure," Sesshoumaru offered evenly without the slightest undertone of contrition.

"No need to apologize. I'm sure the lady's probably having some car trouble or stuck in traffic."

"Keh. Not fucking likely." With a scowl firmly etched into his face, Inuyasha sat down in another chair. He had been feeding off of his anger ever since he and Sesshoumaru talked yesterday. It gave him something to focus on other than the emptiness and depression that his soon to be mate's departure left him in. His anger high tapered off at the thought of his love and quickly sent him descending into yet another vortex of muddled emotions.

_'Kagome.'_ His chest tightened with a pain comparable to none, his ears atop his crown drooping against his scalp. He missed her presence so much it physically hurt, but what hurt him even deeper was that she didn't understand that even if the child was his, they hadn't been together at that particular time so it wasn't as if he betrayed her or did anything wrong, other than get together with the bitch that had tore them apart in the first place. If anything, he was the one that should be angry at her for abandoning him when he needed her the most. She high tailed it out of there as soon as something went wrong instead of sticking by his side like a mate was supposed to.

As much as he wanted to hate her or even be resentful of the fact that she blamed him for something that was entirely had been out of his hands, Inuyasha found himself unable to summon up the slightest smidgen of umbrage towards her. He was spent of housing hatred towards the girl who held his heart and pretending that she didn't mean anything to him. She was his world. He sorely missed her smile, her scent, her beautiful eyes, and her company. A low whining sound that he wasn't even aware he had produced sounded from the back of his throat.

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes at the hanyou's dismalness. It was truly a pathetic sight to see the son of a great taiyoukai Inutaisho reduced to some sniveling fool. But then again, he had never experienced the lost of his mate and he'd make damned sure that nothing would come between Rin and himself. Already regretting the uncharacteristic comforting words that were about to spill from his mouth, Sesshoumaru sighed inaudibly before speaking. "Inuyasha, do you remember what I spoke of yesterday? If this girl is truly the one you are destined to be with, she will not be easily swayed form her love for you under any circumstances, including the fix you are undertaking now."

"What if she doesn't come back?" he asked uncertainly, doubt overshadowing his words.

"Give her time to cool off. Like I said yesterday, if your love is strong enough, she will return regardless if the child is yours or not. She may even be back by this afternoon. Now stop moping around here like some weak, heartbroken fool. I am tired of seeing you continually wallow in your own misery."

Inuyasha clenched his teeth at his brother's weak portrayal of him. Damnit, he wasn't weak. "Keh. Stupid bitch. I don't care if she comes back or not. I don't need her. I don't need anybody," he lied, unable to convince himself or anybody else in that room.

The shrill melody of his cell phone sounded loudly from his pocket. He hurriedly rummaged in his cargo pants for the mobile device in hopes that it would be Kagome saying she was on her way back now. Inuyasha pulled the phone out and frowned upon seeing the unknown number flashing on his screen. "What?"

"Do you always answer your phone in such an uncouth manner?"

The hanyou visibly bristled at Kikyo's sultry tone. "Where the hell are you? We've been waiting here for over an hour for your ass," Inuyasha growled discounting her question altogether.

"For little ole me? You shouldn't have." He could practically see her smirking on the other end of the line.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth and tried to keep his temper in check. "Where are you?"

"Sorry sweetie, something came up at the last minute and I won't be able to come until 7." That won't be a problem will it?

The last of Inuyasha's patience snapped. "Listen you fucking-"

"And since I don't have time to listen to your maniacal tirade of foul language, I will be on my way. See you then, Inu." She hung up before he could get out another word.

Dr. Shizumo winced at the colorful language that spewed from the enraged hanyou as he flipped the phone shut. The young Takeda had without a doubt inherited his father's temper. "Inuyasha, what seems to be the problem?"

"She won't be here until 7 for reasons unknown," he ground out through clenched teeth. So unless you have other plans for today, I guess were not going to find out if that kid's mine or not."

Dr. Shizumo stroked the tuft of hair that grew out of his chin with a thoughtful expression. "Let's not be too hasty. I may have an opening this evening. Let me check my schedule." He pulled his leather briefcase into his lap and began delving through its contents.

Inuyasha waited with baited breath as the older inuyoukai pulled out a black notebook and began sifting through the pages. Dr. Shizumo was a renowned youkai doctor that was recognized for his practice in over thirty countries. It was a miracle in itself that he had had time to come over at 9 in the morning to conduct a menial paternity test. The Takeda family had countless connections that gave them many advantages when it came to getting what they wanted. But even that had its limits.

"Ah, you're in luck. My 7 o'clock cancelled yesterday so I will have just enough time to stop by here, administer the test, and be back in the office just in time for my 8 o'clock appointment."

The hanyou let out the breath he had been holding. The sooner they got this thing over with, the sooner he could return to life before Kikyo had so boldly made her appearance. "Thanks doc. You're a lifesaver."

The doctor chuckled and stood. "That is why I pursued this career. Well then, I'll be on my way."

"I'll show you out," Inuyasha mumbled and waited until he had gathered his belongings before walking to the foyer.

"Don't look so gloomy, pup." He gave him a reassuring smile before walking out the door. "I'm sure things will work out for the best in the end. I'll see you at 7 sharp." Patting the hanyou's shoulder in a gesture of sympathy, Dr. Shizumo stepped through the threshold of the door and began making his descent down the stairs and to his SUV.

Chest heaving slightly, Inuyasha somewhat reluctantly closed the door and put a clawed hand over his heart to offer some form of alleviation to the aching organ. '_I had no idea missing her would hurt this much.'_ If there was one thing he had learned from this experience, it was not to take love for granted. Pushing down the heartrending feelings and emotions, Inuyasha set his gruff facade back in place so as not to appear vulnerable and went back into the dining room, so caught up with his feelings that he missed the set of emerald eyes peering at him inquisitively from the top of the stairs.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Crap. That single word could vividly albeit vaguely describe how Kagome's day was going from the moment she had opened her eyes that morning. She had awoken with a killer headache that without a doubt been induced by her skirmish with the crazed neko youkai that had attempted to kill her the day before. The scratches she had obtained after being roughly heaved out of a window stung like hell while she showered and had turned into ugly, red blemishes along her skin. Later on, Koji had dragged her downtown to the police precinct to make a formal statement, which took entirely too long for her liking.

And on top of the physical pain that accompanied both the unsightly bruise on the side of her temple and the scrapes over various parts of her body, she was in an emotional state of turmoil. Her mind was a befuddlement of confusion, bitterness, anger, and hurt, and was all geared toward the sudden development concerning Inuyasha's assumed bastard child.

Kagome inwardly flinched at the thought, her hands unconsciously tightening around the strap of the Prada purse that sat in her lap. She had a right to be angry. After all, he was the one who admitted how much he loved her, even when they weren't together, and how he couldn't bring himself to enter a serious relationship with another girl.

_'But a one night stand doesn't really qualify as a relationship_,' she mused morosely, her throat constricting at the notion. He had every right to go and pursue his sexual desires with whomever he wanted, whether the strings were attached or not. '_But with Kikyo of all people?' _Her stomach turned in repulsion and distaste.

"Were here," Koji said breaking the silence that had enveloped the car for the duration of the ride from the police station to her home as he pulled the silver Benz to a halt.

Kagome offered him a watery smile before getting out. "Thanks Koji-san. I really appreciate you going downtown with me to make the statement."

He gave her a toothy grin. "No problem. Unlike your mouthy spouse, I actually don't mind escorting you anywhere."

She stiffened at the mention of Inuyasha as a horde of unwanted emotions she really wasn't ready to deal with and she had tried to suppress were brought unbidden to her awareness. Forcing back the torrent of feelings, Kagome struggled to keep her typical pretense of affability from slipping and kept the smile glued to her face so as to appear not unaffected by his words. "Thank you again Koji-san for the ride. I guess I'll see you later then."

"Just give me a call when you're ready to go back."

"Bye." Kagome got out and shut the door before walking up the paved cement path that led to the front door of her parent's four story home. Not feeling like putting up with her family's inquiries, which they no doubt harbored after she refused to tell them a thing about what had happened between Inuyasha and herself yesterday, Kagome chose to take the back entrance instead of the front where they were probably waiting for her return. With her heart laden with indescribable burdens that she was trying unsuccessfully to put in the back of her mind, she quietly walked up the wooden steps of the abandoned deck and to the sliding glass door.

Blue eyes surveyed the interior of kitchen through the glass before entering. Upon seeing that it was empty, Kagome slid the door open and stepped inside. Maybe if she hurried, she would be able to make it to her room without interference from anyone.

"What are you doing?"

Kagome jumped and whirled around at the same time, her heart beating a mile a minute. "Souta! You scared me half to death."

He gave her a toothy grin. "Sorry sis." He craned his neck to see behind her as if looking for someone. "So, where is Inuyasha? At the hospital, he said he would take me to play laser tag next time I saw him."

Kagome stiffened, but kept the smile on her face. "He's not here right now."

Souta's face fell, the look of disappointment obvious in his chocolate eyes. "Oh. Is he going to come by later?"

"Not that I know of. I'm going to my room." She sidestepped her brother and headed up to her room.

"Why isn't he with you? Did you two have a big fight or something?" The boy asked doggedly pursuing her down the hall, noticeably not taking the hint that she wanted to be left alone.

"We had a disagreement." Without another word on the subject, she began her ascension up the staircase.

"It isn't anything serious is it? I would hate it if you two started hating each other again. Inuyasha is so cool. Don't you think he's cool? Do you think I could come over some time and hang out with you guys? I'm so glad you married someone as cool as Inuyasha instead a dud like that Hojo who used to keep coming around here." So caught up was he in his reverence of the dog eared hanyou that he missed the tension bunching in the older girls shoulders until it was too late. "Do you think Inuyasha-"

"Enough!" Kagome snapped, reeling around to glare at her taken aback brother. "I'm tired of hearing about that stupid hanyou! I came here to get away from him, not to listen to you rant on and on about how he is so great! Go tell somebody who cares because I personally don't want to hear anymore!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately regretted them, the expression of pure shock and hurt reflecting brightly in his eyes was enough to make her heart cry.

"I'm sorry sis. I didn't mean to upset you," Souta mumbled looking downward and turn and ran off before Kagome could say anything else.

"Wait! Souta!" Kagome felt like ramming her head into a wall. This was really not her day. With yet another problem added to her seemingly endless heap of hindrances, she reluctantly retreated to her old room. Closing the door behind her, Kagome let out a heavy sigh and sank onto a nearby couch. She was emotionally and mentally exhausted. Her emotions were tangled and jumbled into one big mass of confusion that not even she could sort through and discern, ensuing in her headache evolving into a full fledged migraine.

Kagome sighed and rubbed her temples with the pads of her forefingers, which practically did nothing to help alleviate the pain in her head. Should she be angry at him? Should she discount the entire situation altogether since technically he didn't do anything wrong in terms of faithfulness? But how could she be around him without thinking about what he did and whom he did it with, not to mention the baby that would make things even more complicated. And it hurt her like hell that she wouldn't be his first or be the one to have his firstborn. She could almost hear the fates laughing at her misfortune for the sake of their own entertainment.

Her eyes drifted to the painted mural of a paradigm of the perfect day that her mother had had orchestrated for the theme of her room on her ceiling. It portrayed fluffy, white clouds floating obliviously amidst the endless blue sky, creating the ideal embodiment of solace and contentment for all those who gazed up at it in all of its glory and magnificence. It was so simple, and yet so multifaceted with its manifold layers and intricate patterns. It was, in a sense, perfect.

_'If only life could be so simple, so perfect',_ Kagome thought wistfully, bringing her hands behind her head in a more lax position. '_In a perfect world, there would be no bastard child, no Kikyo to complicate things with her half truths if any at all, and parents who handled their own business instead of relying on their children to solve their problems.'_

_'But this isn't your dream world, Kagome_,' a small voice echoed from the depths of her mind. '_And sooner or later, you're going to have to face facts and act like a rational adult instead of running away from all of your problems_.'

Kagome frowned. '_I am not running away. I just needed a little time to think things over away from Inuyasha and everybody else_.'

_'Sounds like running away to me,'_ the voice remarked in a deadpanned tone.

The sudden tapping on her balcony doors jolted her from her mental debate and back to reality. '_Inuyasha?'_ Lifting her head off of the cushion, her eyes fell on the green eyed wolf youkai staring back at her through the glass. Both relief and disappointment struggled for dominance within her.

"Are you going to unlock the door or are we just going to stare at each other all day?" Ayame smirked from the other side.

Somewhat reluctant to leave the warmth and comfort of her sofa, Kagome got up and walked over toward the French doors to let in her friend. "What are you doing here?" she asked with a confused smile. Once she had unbolted the doors, she stood face to face with the red head.

The amusement that had danced in her sparkling green eyes dimmed to something that bordered seriousness, which was strange since it was rarely that the wolf youkai, being the free spirit that she was, ever carried any semblance of somberness. And it instantly set Kagome on edge, taking her friend's solemn mood as a sign that something awful had happened. "Is everything alright?" she questioned, panic beginning to seep into her voice.

"Kagome, you need to go to Inuyasha," Ayame stated matter-of-factly.

Panic was instantly taken over by indignant anger. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but what ever happens between us is our business," Kagome said stiffly. "Thanks for your concern, but its nothing I can't handle." She stepped back into her room and began closing the doors when the other girl's hands grasped the edges with an iron clad grip, effectively preventing her from shutting the doors.

"Look outside of your selfishness Kagome. If you did, you would see how badly you're hurting him," Ayame growled in a low tone, eyes flashing with quickly rising anger.

"How badly he's hurting?" she reiterated incredulously. "Well none of this would've ever happened if he'd kept his pants on!"

"What kind of mate are you, if you can't stand beside him and be there to support him in his darkest hour?" Ayame yelled back heatedly.

"Why does everything have to be about him? What about me? How am I supposed to stand beside him, when he's the one being unfaithful?!"

Ayame let out a short bark of laughter that held no hilarity and shook her head. "Would you listen to yourself for a second? While we're on the subject of unfaithfulness, let me point out a simple fact, the only one who's being disloyal here is you. Instead of remaining devoted to the one you love, you turn tail and run at the sight of trouble. So what, he had a one night stand that resulted in a bastard pup being produced. That is his business. You two weren't together at the time, hence you have no reason to believe that this, in any way, has something to do with you. It is a part of his past and he will deal with it accordingly. Now, stop letting your own selfishness cloud your judgment. I know you're hurting, but just think about how he's feeling. Kikyo shows up with his supposed pup and then you leave him to fend for himself without any moral support whatsoever. He's lost, confused, hurt, angry, and probably burdened with guilt beyond your imagination at what he's done both to himself and to you."

Kagome felt her resolve dissolving, until all that was left was an inexplicable sinking sensation that made her aware of how stupid, childish and selfish she had been towards her husband. He had pleaded to her to stay with him and she had just walked out like it wasn't any of her concern, thinking that he had betrayed their love for one night of passion when the true origin of the child wasn't one hundred percent known. All she had been thinking of was herself and how she was going to cope with this turn of event, not even giving a second thought to how he must be feeling or going through.

Kagome suddenly felt sick to her stomach on the guilt trip Ayame's words sent her on and the truth of it all. Letting go of the door handles, Kagome turned and went back inside to sit down on her bed, the extent of her stupidity finally dawning upon her. "You must think I'm a horrible person," she said putting her face in her hands.

Ayame offered her a half smile as she came to sit down beside the other girl and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Not at all. We all make bad decisions; it just takes somebody to point us in the right direction. You've done so much for me, I feel honored to return the favor."

A listless smile crept upon Kagome's face. "Thanks Ayame, for pointing out how much of a jerk I've been."

"No problem," the wolf youkai grinned, slapping her on the back. "Now, are you ready to confront your demons? Oh, wait, I mean your half demon?"

Kagome hesitated to answer, conflicting emotions battling it out on her face. "I don't know. What should I say? How do I apologize for doing something like that?"

"You'll know when the time comes," Ayame reassured her, standing and pulling her to her feet. "Or, you can think about it as we drive back home. Whichever suits you better. As they say, there's no time like the present."

Twenty minutes later as she walked down the hall leading to Inuyasha's room, Kagome was still no closer to coming up with an acceptable apology for just running out on him like she had done. She bit her lip in query upon coming up to his closed doors. Her hand clasped around the cool, golden handle, but for some reason was unable to open it. Why was she so nervous? This was Inuyasha.

Her hand still refused to obey the mental command to pull the handle to open. Her brows tugged together.

_'You're afraid,'_ the voice in the back of her mind taunted her mockingly.

Was she afraid? But what was there to be afraid of?

_'He won't forgive you for walking out on him. If the baby is his, then things will not be the same as they were before it entered the picture. He will always have a connection through the child to Kikyo_,' the voice went down a list of possibilities, each one causing the dread that sat like a rock in the pit of her stomach to grow heavier.

Kagome shook the negative thoughts from her head and focused on the task at hand. '_Here goes nothing.'_ Pushing down on the handle, she gently opened the door and poked her head in timidly. "Inuyasha?"

Dead silence answered her inquiry.

Opening the door further, Kagome stepped in, her eyes widening slightly in moderate shock. The room had been complete refurnished from the last time she had been in it. Red and gold was the main theme of the room, complete with a polished oak dinette, a matching red and gold sofa with a love seat, and new tapestries that were decked out in the finest of silk she had ever seen.

Pushing her enamors aside for the moment, or at least until she had a chance to talk to the hanyou, Kagome headed out for the balcony, where she knew he liked to go when he needed to relax or think. Her heart fluttered with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness and happiness when she saw him lounging casually in a chair outside, his feet propped comfortably on the tiny table a few feet away. Though she could only see the back of his head, she knew by the telltale flicker of his ears in her direction that he knew of her presence.

"Come. Have a seat," he broke the silence and gestured to the chair beside his own with a wave of his clawed hand.

Unsure of what to say, Kagome obediently followed his instructions and sat down in the plush chair. A brief silence followed her action as they both stared out over the balcony to watch the setting sun splay a multitude of colors and hues out over the sky. Kagome glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and was neither surprised nor shocked by the blank expression on his face. Her heart fell a little at this.

"Why did you come back?" he asked in a quiet voice, his bland tone betraying none of what he felt, his eyes never leaving the horizon to look her in the face.

"I guess you can say that I realized that I had made a mistake," she answered softly, her gaze shifting so that she could fully look him in the eyes, even though he gave the impression that he wasn't paying her the slightest bit of attention. "After I heard what Kikyo said, the first thing that popped into my head was that you had betrayed me and all of our trials and tribulations we endured and overcame were in vain. I was bombarded with a million thoughts and feelings all at once. At the time, all I could think of was how this was going to affect me. I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I was supposed to be there for you and I wasn't." She looked down at her hands that lay splayed on her lap, a bittersweet smile playing at her lips as a wistful glint flashed in her eyes. "I guess I'm not mate material after all."

Silence weighed heavily in the air once she had finished talking. A slight breeze sieved through her hair as she waited more or less patiently for him to respond, the teasing, light wind doing nothing to lift her spirits. Kagome felt her throat closing up and tried to repress the tears that were beginning to sting the back of her eyeballs, taking his silence as a bad sign. Angling her head so that he wouldn't be able to see the pain on her face, she directed her gaze out towards the sunset, not bothering to wipe away the solitary tear that trailed down her cheek.

Her heart fluttered in surprise within her chest when she felt a calloused finger reach out and capture the tear before it could drip off of her face. Inquisitive blue eyes turned to meet the soft, golden eyes of her husband, who was kneeling in front of her. "I don't ever want to hear you say that you're not mate material," he murmured with a half smile, his palm cupping the side of face as his thumb caressed her cheek lovingly. "You are a wonderful mate. You're patient with me even when I'm acting like an asshole. You're gentle, kind, and so beautiful. Kagome," he stood and pulled her to her feet, his arms snaking around her waist and crushing her to his chest in a bear tight grip, "you are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

A light blush painted Kagome's cheeks in reaction to the warm sensations that were being generated within her stomach, the heavy scent of spices and pure masculinity doing numbers to her insides. "So, you aren't mad at me for selfishly abandoning you?" she inquired hesitantly.

Inuyasha buried his nose in her silken locks and inhaled deeply; still unable to fathom the extent to how much he had missed her in her short absence. "It's not totally your fault. If I hadn't screwed up in the first place, we wouldn't even be in this position right now. Do you forgive me Kagome? If this kid is mine, will you stay by my side?" he asked quietly peering uncertainly down at the woman in his embrace from beneath his thick bangs.

Kagome melted into his hold, her arms winding around his neck as she stood on her tip toes. Her lips hovered dangerously close to his, her breath a feather light caress over his lips before tentatively pressing against them fully. It was meant to be an innocent display of forgiveness and a sign of her undying love for him, but it quickly escalated into raw, animalistic hunger.

It was as if gasoline was running through his veins and the second that he felt her soft lips against his, a single flame had ignited the fire scorching through his blood. He had tried to contain the deep seated need to throw her onto his bed and take her right then, tried to suppress the passion that was welling up within his body, but with her lips gently massaging his, the inhibited yearning he had forced down for the past week came back full force.

Inuyasha deftly slid his hand up her shirt and maneuvered underneath of her bra to delicately trace the curve of her breast with one clawed forefinger, and growled in satisfaction when she gasped. Taking advantage of the situation, Inuyasha slid his tongue past her lips and into her moist cavern that was wet and waiting for him. Tilting her head back with his free hand for better access, he deepened the kiss, his finger rubbing the hardened nipple of her flesh.

Kagome moaned into his mouth, the feelings and sensations he was eliciting within her setting her body on fire for him. She whimpered when his finger retracted from her bra, already missing the erotic rubbing action of his digit against her flesh. Her breath caught when his hand slowly trailed down her stomach to the waistband of her jeans. Torn between the pleasure of his oral assault on her mouth and the torturous feel of his claws as they grazed past her lower abdomen and into her pants, Kagome felt dizzy with bliss and lust all at once, her senses becoming overloaded with a mixture of emotions that were driving her wild with longing.

Inuyasha suddenly froze, his ears swiveling in the direction of the setting sun.

Still caught up in the heat of the moment, a frown tugged her lips downward when he unexpectedly withdrew his hand from her pants and disentangled himself from her arms in favor of looking out beyond the horizon, his body posture stiff with tension. Reining her desires for the moment, she placed a hand on the hanyou's shoulder in confusion. "Are you alright, Inuyasha?"

"Get in the house, Kagome," he growled lowly, his fangs lengthening and protruding, his eyes taking on an unsettling profoundness that had her stomach tying itself in knots.

"Why?" she asked uneasily, her gaze sliding past his form and over the balcony to see what was setting him on edge. She gasped in shock at the horrifying sight that had gathered in the distance and was rapidly approaching them at breakneck speed. Oni. Hundreds of thousands of the disgustingly ugly creatures were flying straight for them, their masses blanketing the sky with their bodies and cloaking the horizon in total darkness.

Kagome felt tendrils of trepidation snake up her spine. This was definitely not good. Something bad was going to happen. She could feel it calling out to her like a sixth sense; the forebodingness of it all lingering thickly in the air. Her hand instinctively sought out her husband's as a means of reassurance. "Inuyasha, what are we going to do? Should we call for help?"

Golden eyes hardened in stubbornness. "No. They're just a bunch of mindless oni. I can take them all by myself." He wrapped his arms around her frame and pulled her close. "Besides," he murmured nipping her ear lobe, "I can protect by myself. I don't need anybody else's help to guard what is mine."

Kagome allowed herself to relax in his comforting hold, his words ringing soothingly in her ears. But it did nothing to quell the apprehension that was gradually building up into full blown panic.

**End.**

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**AN: Not a bad cliffie. Needless to say, there will be a fight scene soon enough, which I'm so dreading since I hate writing fighting scenes. Hopefully, I'll get to update soon and you won't be in suspense too long. I'll try to finish out the remainding chapters in timely fashion. Well, until next time. Cheerio!**

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**Jade C.**


	21. The Battle

**Disclaime**r: I own didley squat…except for the plot.

**AN**:dodges random objects thrown and smiles sheepishly: Hey ppl. Long time no see. I know it has been a while, four months to be precise, but what can I say? Life's a bitch, and so is writer's block. I just want to thank all of those who were patient enough to stick with the story, particularly due to my erratic updates. You know I love you guys too much just to leave you hanging without an ending. I've finally got the rest of the story outlined out and there will be approximately four more chapters after this, including the epilogue. Sadly there will be no sequel since I don't think I'll continue writing fanfiction after finishing all of my stories due to unexpected twists in my life.

Big thanks to **Kimmie** for beta-ing the chapter that I took so long to write. Love ya sweetie. Well, since that's all for now, I'm going to stop rambling. Enjoy.

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The Battle

* * *

"You are, in all honesty, the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on in my life," Miroku said looking earnestly into her eyes, his smooth, baritone voice sliding over Sango's skin like a lover's caress. 

A warm flush fanned out across her cheeks at his words. "Miroku-"

"No, no, let me finish," he pressed cutting her off, his hand coming up to stroke the side of her face tenderly, the corners of his lips uplifting into a serene smile. "I know we've had a lot of history between us, the majority of it being under hectic circumstances in which I ended up being rendered unconscious. But, I deserved it. I was young and stupid and thought I could get everything that I set sight to, until I met you. You were my enigma. A puzzle I wanted to figure out and have all to myself. I was selfish and only thought about my needs and wants without regard to yours. But that's all going to change starting now."

Her eyebrows raised in inquisition as he nervously began rummaging around in his pockets for something, relief spreading over his features when he came across the unknown object. "My dearest Sango, as a token of my misdeeds and all of the trouble I've caused you during the former part of our lives, I would like to present you with this gift."

The taijiya's breath hitched in her throat as he pulled out a long, black box from the pocket of his slacks. "I'm glad that you given this unworthy monk a chance to bask in your magnificence and offer you my love."

Butterflies erupted in a horde of scurrying wings against the insides of her stomach as he opened the velvet box. She gasped as she saw what lay amongst the soft pillow gleaming up at her. "Miroku," she said breathily and reached for diamond cut tennis bracelet glinting in the light of the room, "it's beautiful."

The monk could only grin at her astonished expression on her face, his ego inflating to dangerous heights at his ability to please his woman. "Put your wrist out." Smothering a small laugh as she mechanically complied with his wishes without hesitation, her eyes transfixed on the expensive trinket before her. Miroku took the bracelet out of the box and carefully placed it on her delicate wrist before snapping it shut.

Sango could do no more than stare at the ornament that adorned her wrist, her heart soaring at the fact that he showed enough interest in her to buy her a token of his affection. None of her previous boyfriends had ever given her something so beautiful, so considerate, and so… expensive. "Miroku, I can't take this," she admitted softly, her smile wilting.

His eyebrows tugged together in obvious confusion, "Why not?" While on the outside he looked like the epitome of calmness, inwardly he was panicking, his ego deflating as fast as it went up as he sorted through of all the possible reasons she would have a change of heart about his gift. Was it not expensive enough? Was it ugly? Did she expect more carats? Better craftsmanship? He made a mental note to pull some strings so that the jeweler who recommended this piece would be fired, never to be employed again in all of Japan.

Sango gave a wistful smile as she unsnapped the link. "It's too much. I can't take this knowing that it probably cost you an arm and a leg." She held out the bracelet for him to take.

A relieved smile spread across his face. He leaned over and took her hand with both of his. "Sango, take it. Worry not of the cost," he said sincerely, running a finger across the very same knuckles that used to be plunged on numerous occasions into the flesh of his stomach, "for it is only an object that symbolizes the beauty and worth of my love for you."

Shining tears of joy glazed over Sango's eyes, a hesitant yet appreciative smile slowly but surely lighting up her face. "Oh, Miroku, you've changed so much, I can hardly believe what's right before my eyes."

He flashed her one of his gorgeous smiles before taking the bracelet out of her hand. "And I've done it all for you. You were always the apple of my eye, even when I was but a boy." He re-snapped the diamond encrusted band around her wrist, his hands lingering along the soft expanse of her skin when she didn't protest. "I lost my gangly facade and sharpened my charm to the teeth so that when I saw you again, you would fall for me the way I did you."

"I think that you sharpened it a bit too much," she laughed. "I always thought of you as a perverted weirdo that kept stalking me."

"Now that you've gotten to know me, do you still think I'm a depraved stalker?" he queried, his smile flirtatious though his mauve colored irises held a trace of solemnity to their depths as he awaited the answer he had been dying to hear since he was younger.

Flushing for what seemed like the millionth time that day, Sango looked down in a sudden stint of coyness and nervously twirled the bracelet around her wrist. "I suppose I was wrong about you. After going beyond your lechery and learning your true intentions behind the way you act around me, I have discovered that I find your company rather enjoyable and would not mind taking our platonic friendship to another level. But that does not in any form or fashion mean that I'm going to jump straight into bed with you. If we're going to have a relationship, we're going to take this slow," she expressed resolutely looking into his eyes, feeling a nonplussing twinge at the revelation of adoration and tenderness looking back at her.

"That's what I love about you," he spoke softly, scooting closer to her on the sofa, his hand moving to rest on her thigh, "Your high standards and morals were some of the qualities that drew me to you in the first place. And knowing that I was the only one to meet your extremely high values is something that I will take with me to the grave. And as for our pace," he gently grasped her hand in his and laid a kiss on her palm, "I am willing to go as slow or as fast as you want me to."

Heart fluttering in expectation as he leaned over to supply her with a highly anticipated kiss, she closed her eyes and waited for him to grant her something she had been looking forward to for some time now. She could virtually feel the sensuous curve of his mouth against hers, that piece of knowledge causing her to become impatient when after a full five seconds later she felt him place an innocent kiss on her cheek, the last of places she wanted his lips, much to mortification. Eyelids shooting up in confusion, she stared at him expectantly when he moved back. "That's it?"

The sensuous mouth she wanted to feel against hers curved into an eloquent smile. "Why Sango, I'm just honoring your wishes to take things slow. There really is no need to rush into-" His eyes widened in disbelief when she practically threw herself on top of his body, her arms binding around his neck, her lips crushing against his in a primal kiss that had his toes curling, something that never happened to him of all people. Perhaps taking things slowly was the way to go, especially if he could get his woman to become this excited for him in such a short span of time.

Need replaced his amusement as he felt the heat from her legs clutch his torso on either side of him. One hand reaching up to release her hair from bondage, the other sliding up her under her shirt, the monk suckled on her lips before slipping into her moist cavern. A groan escaped the both of them as a burst of flavor and sensation overtook their mind and body, the synchronization of tongues swiveling around one another in a dance as old as time itself almost more than they could take.

"Get your hand out of her fucking shirt letch, we got a problem!"

The couple jumped apart in surprise and embarrassment at the sudden appearance of the hanyou and his wife, their faces beet red as they hurried to disentangle their limbs from one another's and hastened to adjust their rumpled façade.

"Inuyasha, what seems to be the problem?" Miroku asked calmly smoothing his frazzled hair, effectively concealing the complete aggravation he was feeling at being interrupted during a heated moment with his love.

"And it better be good," Sango muttered under her breath.

"Hundreds of oni are going to be arriving at our place within the next five minutes." Inuyasha watched in satisfaction as both of their faces paled in response. If he and Kagome couldn't have any time to get any, neither could anybody else, friend or not. "Sango, do you have your taijiya stuff here?"

"Yes," she responded slipping into combat mode, the color fading from her cheeks as her face hardened with purpose and steadfastness, acquired from the extensive training that all taijiyas endured. "I'll go suit up, get Kirara, and meet you guys back here."

Miroku watched longingly as Sango stood up and retreated to her room without so much as a good-bye, making his heart sinking a little. Why now? Why did these things have to happen at the most inconvenient time? "I suppose I'll go change into my monk attire," he sighed getting up and trudged to his room half-heartedly, not in any shape or form in the mood for a battle, even if they were asinine creatures.

"I'll go change out of these clothes and into some sweats," Kagome said glancing down at her expensive Baby Phat outfit and Gucci boots and turned to go when a firm hand took hold of her upper arm. Frowning, she turned back to face her husband. "What?"

"You're not going anywhere," he stated decisively, his voice holding no room for question.

"I'm coming with you," Kagome asserted, determination swirling viciously in her blue eyes.

"The hell you are," Inuyasha snorted removing his hand from her arm and folded his own across his chest in an act of finality.

"The hell I'm not," she countered stepping into his face, daring him to challenge her. "I happen to come from a very powerful line of mikos."

"None of such power I have neither seen nor sensed within that little body of yours," he pointed out with a wry twist of his lips.

Kagome grinded her teeth together to restrain herself from using the subduing spell to knock some sense into his overgrown head. "Their numbers far exceed ours. We need all the help we can get."

"You don't think I'm capable of protecting what's mine," he growled, amber eyes flashing with rising anger, his nostrils flaring like a bull ready to charge.

"I don't doubt your abilities at all. In fact, I'm counting on them to give us the winning advantage. But, I think it would be wise for us to use extra help since you might have your hands full. And," she contested with a glint in her eyes and folded her arms in a pose very much like the hanyou's, "I was number one in the archery club in high school."

Inuyasha expression revealed his lack of amusement. "I don't care if you were the number one sharpshooter in the military. Your ass is going to stay inside this house where it is safe."

"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" she yelled indignantly.

"I'm your fucking mate and you will do as I say," he snapped.

"Being married to you does not entitle me to obey your every damn command like some trained puppy."

He clenched his fists at his sides and tried to steady his voice so that it wouldn't betray the depth of frustration and fury that was setting his blood afire. "Kagome, I'm only going to say this one more time, stay in the house where you will be out of harm's way." She opened her moth to say more on the subject but was silenced by his hand upon her lips. "Please, stay inside. If you go out there, I'm going to spend the entire time thinking about whether or not you're hurt or in need of my help. So please, do me this one favor and do as I say so that I can have some peace of mind."

Every shred of impatience and anger immediately melted from her body at the underlying desperation in his tone, the pleading in his eyes. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine, I'll stay here," she mumbled, looking away from him so he wouldn't see the hurt she felt at the lack of trust he had in her ability to fight. She stiffened when strong arms wrapped around her waist and tugged her forward into a hard chest.

"It's not that I think you're useless," he reassured in a soft voice, rubbing small circles on her lower back with one hand, the other tugging her hair down so that she was forced to look him in the eyes. "I need you here, Kagome. If you go out there and get hurt or…die, I don't know what I would do with myself. I can't… I won't let that happen. Not after the hell we went through to get back to each other. I'm not taking any chances when it comes to your life, even if that includes you being mad at me from making you stay here."

Kagome's heart overflowed with tenderness and affection at his words and the volumes of undiluted love that his amber eyes spoke of. Smiling, she brought her hands up and entrenched them within his silky white locks, reveling both in the perfection of the strands wrapped around her fingers and the calming heat radiating from his body that warmed her own in response. "Inuyasha," she started only to pause, her next words fading away from mind when his fingers slipped beneath her shirt and began to stroke her stomach, the grazing of his claws eliciting tiny tremors that skimmed along the length of her entire body.

She drew in a shaky breath and attempted to finish her sentence, while trying to ignore the sensations he was rousing within her with his innocent touches. "Ahh, Inuyasha, I can't think with you touching me like that."

He blinked a couple of times in confusion before realizing just what he had been doing. Grinning devilishly, he withdrew his hand from her shirt and contented himself with holding her close to him. "Sorry. I'll save my bedside manners for you at a more appropriate time."

Blushing, Kagome tried hard not to concentrate on what more he had to offer and focused on the oncoming flock of hideous beasts flying in their direction. "Alright, I promise I'll wait inside for the sake of your sanity and my so-called safety. But I can't assure that I'll stay here if things start to get out of hand."

Relief blossomed in Inuyasha's chest as he bent down and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Good. Now I want you to go to the basement with the runt and don't come out until I come get you. Got that wench?"

"And we're back to wench," Kagome muttered whilst extracting herself from his embrace, more so disappointed by the lack of affection than his referring to her with the depreciative term. "I'll go get Shippou." It came as no surprise to her when he spun her around back into his arms once again and dipped his head to capture her lips with his, but it was no less breath-taking.

The familiar falling sensation instantly took hold of her the instant his lips found hers, the soft, velvety feel of his mouth nipping and caressing her lips drawing a moan of pleasure from her throat. Hands wrapped around various body parts in an effort to bring them even closer than they already were, the growing need for one another consuming thought and action alike. His grip tightened on her as he felt her body trembling unsteadily against his in response to the magnitude of the overwhelming emotions engulfing their souls and held her firmly to him as if she was about to slip away.

In his arms, she felt a security that had no comparison. She had waited all of her life to be with him, and yet sometimes, even when they were together, it still seemed surreal, as if one day she were going to wake up and realize that it all had been some kind of cruel dream; that all of the ups and downs, trials and tribulations they had endured over the past couple of months, had all taken place within the recesses of her own subconscious. It took all of her willpower not to pinch her arm just to assure herself that this was real, that the hanyou ravaging her lips unmercifully was real, that the love that they had once thought of as dead was indeed alive and throbbing with life and an intensity that sometimes scared her.

She gasped as his fangs emerged from their resting place and tugged at her lower lip while his tongue swept sensually over the inner part of the sensitive flesh before taking the plunge into her mouth, the action making her legs almost give out on her and provoking the spark that had been set off by the kiss initially into a full-blown combustion of flames within her. An explosion of taste and sensations hit her taste buds like having some new, exquisite food for the first time. Gods, did he know how to kiss a girl.

Inuyasha suppressed a groan at the powerful feelings run rampant in both his heart and throughout the rest of his body. He was on fire for the woman in his arms and there wasn't a damn thing he wanted more than to throw her over his shoulder and finish what they had never been able to finish in his bedroom. It was hell that his body, mind, and soul went through always having to hold back because of unwelcome interruptions, especially since he had an insatiable taste for her. It was something he could never really rid himself of and was constantly thinking about. The necessity to finally mark her as his was something that constantly plagued his thoughts and would have to be rectified soon before he went insane.

It took every ounce of resolve he had stored away before initiating the kiss to break away from her mouth. He leaned his forehead against hers as they both tried to catch their breath that had escaped them as a result of their passionate kiss. "I should go now," he breathed still holding tightly onto her and for some reason was unable to let her go.

"I guess you should." She gave him a weak smile and tweaked his left ear affectionately. "I'll be rooting for you."

"You'd better. And I expect my woman to cook me a feast when this is all over because I'll be hungry," he grinned tugging at her ponytail.

Kagome snorted softly, completely dismissing the notion without a second thought. Being raised in a household where she had household personnel to take care of her needs had made her inept at a lot of things, including cooking meals that weren't microwavable or already came pre-prepared. "In your dreams."

"Don't even get me started about my dreams," he smirked, the suggestive glint in his eyes making color seep into her cheeks, "because let me assure you that they have nothing to do with you cooking."

"I'm sure they don't, hentai," Kagome teased.

Inuyasha donned an expression of feigned offense with a hand over his heart. "I'm hurt that you think my intentions would be anything but pure when it comes to you."

"You've been spending too much time around Miroku," she laughed and grudgingly found the strength of mind to part from the warmth and protection of his arms, her jovial mood waning as she mulled upon the idea that he was about to go to battle and this might be the last time she would see him alive. Forcing down the wedged lump in her throat, she stroked his cheek and almost smiled when his eyelashes fluttered close as he basked in her nearness, a contented sigh passing through his lips. "Come back to me."

His eyes opened in surprised when he felt her lips make contact with his in a tender indication of her affection for him, his heart skipping at least a couple of beats in response. "Kagome," he murmured against her mouth, the sweetness of the gesture touching him to the very core of his being, his love for the petite woman in his embrace deepening to such an extent that it actually pained him to think of what his life would be like without her in it. "I love you," he whispered nipping one last time at her lips.

Kagome smiled, her heart inwardly soaring to heights unheard of. "I love you too."

"You ready Inuyasha?"

The couple blinked, gradually coming out of their own world and back to reality to see their friends gathered around them, all set and ready for battle, all having the same knowing glint in their eyes... Except for one pair, the pain glittering within their icy blue depths making Kagome feel a guilt that surpassed all else. She had broken his heart in the worse kind of way and yet he had forgiven her and chose to remain friends. Seeing him now, with his face contorted with masked disloyalty and grief, made her realize what a wretched girlfriend and friend she had been to him, when he had stood by her side through thick and thin alike.

Knowing exactly the reason behind his mate's switch in moods, Inuyasha grasped her hand indiscreetly with a scowl aimed at Kouga before averting his piercing gaze to the rest of the group. "Is everyone ready?"

"Sir, yes sir," Miroku exclaimed clad in monk attire from head to toe, his staff jingling as he raised it in a mock salute. "Awaiting your next orders Sir."

Rolling her eyes, Sango grabbed the hem of his sleeve and started for the front doors. "We'll be waiting for you outside."

"Remember what I told you," Inuyasha said looking down at her, amber eyes all seriousness. "If I see your ass outside, I'm going to lock you inside of your room for the next month."

"Yes father," she childishly stuck out her tongue and let go of his hand. "Good luck."

"Keh, you know damn well I don't need it," he responded with his usual cocky smirk and watched as she laughed and headed off toward the stairs. His smirk waned until it disappeared completely, his heart aching for her presence already. When did she worm her way into his heart and get to be such a huge part of his life? Sighing, he unenthusiastically trudged outside to defend his territory. He used to remember a time when he jumped at the chance to prove his fighting skills. Why did it feel like such a chore now, especially since he could think of things he would much rather be doing at the moment, none of which including fending off oni from his property.

* * *

Kouga had his jaw locked so hard he knew the aftereffects would be hell, his fists clenched so tight by his sides that he felt his claws digging into the palm of his hands, drawing blood that seeped out of the corners and dripped to the ground. His blood roared inside his veins with a vengeance and heated even more when the brash hanyou that stole his woman emerge from the front doors, his lips tinged with a red that came from the same shade of lipstick he used to buy Kagome since she loved it. A low, dangerous growl sounded within his chest. 

"Alright," Inuyasha started assuming the commanding position immediately, his eyes focused on the approaching oni that would probably be arriving in less than a minute, "Miroku and Sango, you two will take up the rear part of the estate. Ayame, you take Kouga and will defend the left side of the property and I'll take up the right. I've already told Kaede and the other bodyguards to assemble in the front. Although, some will accompany the letch and you Sango, since there's way too much area to cover for only two people to handle. Any questions before we spread out?"

"You sure you can handle all that territory by yourself?" Ayame questioned cracking her knuckles in preparation for the oncoming fight ahead, her lips turned up in a half grin.

Inuyasha shot her a look that plainly conveyed his indignation at her question. "Does anyone have any intelligent questions before we split up?"

"Why are we taking orders from dog-shit?" growled a dark voice in a guttural tone so baleful that it had tiny prickles of unease snaking down the humans' spines.

Narrowed amber eyes connected with the Kouga's, the surfacing of his fangs coming into view at the challenge the other male was presenting in his territory. "Well I didn't hear anybody protesting against it and I am the strongest fighter out of everyone here. If you have a problem with that then you can take a fucking hike."

"I have a problem with your inability to discern your head from your ass," Kouga strode up to Inuyasha until he was barely an inch away from his face, eyes flashing with silent fury. "I don't know what Kagome sees in your stupid fleabag of a hide."

"Apparently more than what she saw in yours," Inuyasha retorted flexing his claws, his irritation rising to levels for the wolf that far exceeded his hate for the oni.

"Boys, boys," Ayame jumped between the two to intercede before things got out of hand and pushed them away from each other enough so that they wouldn't tear out one another's throat, "this is not the time to arguing. There is a horde of man eating oni on their way to kill us all. Now if you don't mind, can we save this spat for a later time and focus on defeating our real enemy?" She glanced pleadingly from Inuyasha to Kouga in an attempt to win them over with her persuasion and sighed in relief when the wolf prince put his hands in the air and backed away, though the frightening flash in his eyes directed toward the hanyou remained.

"We'll finish this afterwards," Kouga's spite filled glare charged with so much hatred that it made Inuyasha's hackles rise in defense of both his pride and his woman.

"I'll be looking forward to ripping out your intestines from your ass," Inuyasha growled, his expression darkening, unhidden revulsion and rage twisting his facial features in resentment.

With a snarl, Kouga raced off en route for the oni at breakneck speed, leaving the others in his dust, his mind a torrent of confusion, rage, and pain. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to get over Kagome and move on, like how he had envisioned it when she first told him that she and the mutt face were getting back together. But seeing them in action not ten minutes ago, the way she held him, the love shining in her eyes solely for him, the whispered words of adoration, it made him inwardly wild with fury at how she had used him and at the same time regretful that he had ever agreed to let her walk out of his life. Should he have fought harder for her affection? Did he give up to dog shit too easily?

Howling, he sprung off of the ground, launching himself directly into the line of fire of the oni. Seizing hold of a centipede like creature by the head, Kouga power slammed his foot down the middle of his back, and watched in sick satisfaction as the beast screamed in agony while his foot came out through its stomach. He jumped off of its falling corpse just as it hit the ground and onto the back of another oni, whose grotesque form made the job simpler as his extended claws reached out and sliced its head cleanly off. Not waiting around to see if it was completely dead, he pressed on in the midst of chaos, his mind a conglomeration of muddled emotions and barely tangible thoughts, his body covered in bits of flesh and blood of the lifeless oni he left in his wake. Nothing else mattered except for what was in front of him, every single one of the beasts bearing the face of the bastard who stole his woman from him, making it all the more gratifying when he saw their lifeless carcasses plummet to the ground.

* * *

Ayame blanched as she watchedher love recklessly tear into the charging mass of oni with disturbing violence and aggression while fending off the blood thirsty fiends trying to bypass her en route for the manor. She knew precisely why Kouga was acting with such vehemence and the reason for his explosion of hostility concerning Inuyasha. 

'_Kagome is on his mind again,_' she mused forlornly to herself while incapacitating a cluster of oni with one well aimed swipe of the claws, powerless to stop the surge of insecurities and doubts she had tucked away in the back of her mind. _'I thought that when Kouga agreed to take me out to dinner he was trying to move on._'

It was apparent that he was still hung up on Kagome, no matter how much he rebuffed the accusation. She had seen his expression when they had walked in on the couple's private interlude, the look of anguish and resentment coalescing into an amalgamation of utter turmoil upon his face. It had pulled on her heart strings so forcefully that she could have started crying because there was nothing she could do to alleviate his pain, nothing that he wanted her to do for him.

Taking a creature with huge, gaping jaws by the face, she bashed her skull precisely into the center of its forehead, grabbing the thing by its tail when it lurched forward with a screech of pain and swung its bulky body into a cluster of oni that had assembled around her in an attempt to bring her down collectively, efficiently knocking them all away with a fluidity that could only be derived from years of training for combat with her clan.

Ayame let go of the appendage and managed a small grin of approval as the beast's unconscious or dead form collided into a tight throng of snarling oni with an impact that made even her wince. Not letting the small victory distract her from her overall purpose, she moved on and made quick work of other insignificant creatures that didn't stand a chance against the power of her lethal talons and stealth of her movements. Her mind strayed to the date that she and Kouga had agreed to go on in an hour the other day. Did he still want to go? And if he did go, would he end up spending the majority of their time together thinking of Kagome or plotting how he was going to kill Inuyasha?

Blinking back tears of defeat and anger, she put all of the gratuitous emotions swimming around in her head and all the frustration submerging her deeper into the pit of despair into the blows, the swiping, the strikes that she had seen her wolf prince perform a minute ago. Putting her disheartening thoughts on the back burner for the time being, she focused on working her way through the multitude of vile creatures, allowing herself to forget for a short time the mayhem that ruled in both her mind and her heart.

* * *

"SANKON TESSOU!" 

Inuyasha smirked as portions of diagonally sliced flesh fell piece by piece onto the ground in loud plops, his eyes roving to the left of the mansion where he could vaguely make out Sango on top of Kirara, Hiraikotsu tearing through the bodies of a great deal of oni as it circled the air and Miroku on the ground, hurling ofudas and using his staff to disembody attacking oni like a professional taijiya.

'_Humans aren't as weak or stupid as I thought they were,_' he pondered, jumping just in time to avoid a fatal strike of the tail of a scorpion youkai, the poison from its stinger dissolving grass and soil into a puddle of boiling, liquefied matter.

"Oi shithead, you know how much if fucking cost to pay the gardeners to look after this place?" Enraged by the lack of respect concerning the beauty of his domain, Inuyasha ducked his head to evade another swift strike by the stinger only to grab it when the scorpion went to retract it. Hissing in displeasure, the scaled fiend snapped at him with its gargantuan pincers albeit unable to reach the hanyou, who still had a vice grip on its stinger.

Inuyasha laughed at the dilemma he was posing for his opponent, gradually tightening his clutch until he had it squealing in pain. Thoroughly aggravated now and nearly breaching the brink of desperation, the scorpion struggled to turn around with its tail still in the hold of the hanyou and flung its pincers aimlessly behind himself. Inuyasha effortlessly dodged the sloppily aimed swipes, jumping and sidestepping the enlarged appendages as they blindly hacked their way through the air without direction. Finally tiring of playing, he squeezed the stinger until it popped completely off the scorpion's tail, leaving a bloody stub standing where it used to reside and a shrieking scorpion spinning in alarm and pain.

"Sankon Tessou!" The scorpion didn't stand a chance.

"I see that you're fairing quite well, for a pup anyway."

Inuyasha's hackles rose for the second time that day at the condescending tone of his bodyguard as he turned to face the origin of the voice. "Koji, what the hell are you doing over here? Your ass is supposed to be in the front with the others."

"Well you'll have to forgive me for thinking about your well being, Inuyasha-san," Koji replied dryly.

"You ain't getting paid to think. So get lost and stop distracting me before I slice both you and that thing behind you to pieces."

The older inuyoukai whipped out a black gun and rapidly emptied a round into the misshapen creature behind him as well as several others that had begun to circle them. Inuyasha tried hard not to show his impressiveness with the bodyguard's display of skill and precision with his weapon as the dead corpses of the youkai dropped to the ground around them both. "Not bad for an old guy. Too bad your youkai strength isn't enough to handle a few, brainless oni," Inuyasha sneered, springing into the air just in time to amputate the head of a flying bird-like creature with one swipe.

Koji looked unmoved by the hanyou's show of power as he gracefully landed back on the ground with an arrogant smirk he always found irritating. "I don't believe in sullying my claws in the blood of these lesser youkai. You are far more qualified for exterminating this…pest problem of yours." He glanced down at the empty barrel of the gun especially made for youkai. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back inside for more bullets. Think you can manage without me for a few minutes?"

"Go fuck yourself," Inuyasha growled bounding off to slay the remaining oni that were starting to appear slightly hesitant about their assailment of the manor.

"I'll take that as a yes," he heard Koji yell right before leaving.

"Bastard," he mumbled to himself and leapt through the air yet again to take down the next idiot that thought they could get past him. '_I will be so fucking glad when all this shit is over with so that asshole can leave us the hell alone._'

"Sankon Tessou!" Not bothering to watch the body disintegrate into nothing, he kept moving. '_And I can't wait until these shitheads die off so I can get back to Kagome_.' Just thinking of the woman who held his heart in the palm of her hand made a small smile upturn the corners of his mouth amidst the pandemonium surrounding him on the battlefield, the thought of having her back in his arms and finally marking her providing more than enough motivation to hurry and get the undertaking at hand over and done with. With hope for the future shining brightly for both him and his mate, Inuyasha sprinted across ground, claws outstretched and ready for action and a deadly grin on his face that held promises of death and demise for those in his way.

* * *

"I think we should go up and check to see if everybody is doing ok," Kagome suggested while slinging the pack of arrows she had kept for safe keeping in her room onto her back. 

"Are you sure that's a good idea Kagome?" Shippou questioned worriedly, his tail twitching nervously up and down.

"Of course it is. Our friends could be up there dying while we're hiding down here like cowards," she affirmed nodding her head in agreement with herself and choice of action.

"But they're only a bunch of simple-minded oni," the fox cub pointed out wisely as he watched the woman he thought of as his surrogate mother ready her bow. "It's not like we're up against a force to be reckoned with or anything."

"But how do we know that if we don't even know what is going on?" she countered with a question of her own while pulling back her hair into a low ponytail.

Shippou held up a finger in objection. "I still think we should wait down here until Inuyasha or one of the others comes to get us," he said mostly out of fear of her getting hurt rather than his lack of curiosity for what was happening outside. He had already lost one set of parents and didn't know if he could take another set leaving him alone. His lower lip quivered as he tried to repress the tears that tickled his eyes.

"Oh Shippou-chan." Setting the bow against a dresser, she walked over to the kit and knelt down beside him, using her hands to cup his small face in her palms. "I know you're still grieving over the passing of your parents and it must be hard sometimes to find the strength the go on when all of your family is gone, but you don't have to worry about me or Inuyasha or any of the others leaving you again. We're going to be your new family and though we'll never be able to replace your old family, we're going to stick together and love you like you were our own."

The kitsune wiped away the few tears that had managed to escape from the invisible blockade he had created. "I know, but I just don't want you to die or get hurt or anything."

Blue eyes softened at the child's innocence and obvious distress as to her welfare. "Don't worry about me. Inuyasha will protect me from danger no matter what."

Twiddling his thumbs uncertainly, he gazed up into her angelic face, assuming an entreating disposition. "Please Kagome, can you stay here? For me?"

Kagome was finding it extremely difficult to say no, her heart tearing in two directions, one declaring her to assure the kit of her safety one more time before leaving, the other demanding she stay and take care of the child like his mother would do in this situation. Releasing a breathy sigh, she offered him a smile, picking him up in her arms and giving the child a heartening embrace that had him giggling with giddiness. "Happy now?" she smiled letting him go and ruffling his puff ball of a tail.

"Ecstatic," he grinned, which faltered when his delicate nose picked up the scent of someone approaching from outside the closed door though unable to distinguish who exactly it was. "Somebody is coming to get us. See, you didn't have to go out anyway." He hopped out of her arms before she could protest and scurried across the floor to open the door. "I hope its Miroku or Sango-"

The door flung open without warning, smacking the kitsune across the room and into a wall, collision causing Kagome to gasp in fear for his physical condition. "Shippou!" Overlooking the person standing silently in the doorway, she ran for the unconscious kit, hands outreached to gather him off of the floor, when a single, explosive gunshot rang out, the earsplitting reverberation bouncing off the walls of the tiny room.

Kagome froze, the loudness of the gunshot not the only thing stopping her in her tracks. She looked down at the blood percolating through her white shirt, the reality of the situation sinking in fast. Suddenly, white hot pain seared her flesh from where the bullet had pierced her in the back, the upsurge of pain so great that her knees buckled from under her, the air from her lungs escaping so quickly she hardly had time and energy to recuperate the loss. Flames engulfed her abdomen around the wound, an all-consuming, unforgiving fire ripping through her system, sending waves of agonizing pain rippling from the injury to opposing ends of her body.

Incapable of holding herself upright any longer, Kagome lurched forward onto the carpeted floor, the white haze beginning to tinge her vision and brain causing some of the pain she had been experiencing to lessen altogether. Thankful that the liquid inferno shooting through her body was starting to recede, she loosely observed a blurred figure in the doorway, his face indiscernible as the whiteness permeating her sight wholly, until all that was left was a solitary name drifting absently in the furthest recesses of her subconscious. '_Inuyasha_.'

* * *

Inuyasha yelped in surprise and pain when a pinch like incisor stabbed his heart, the slip in his guard allowing the oni he had been on the verge of killing to strike back with its two foot claws obliquely upon his chest. Snarling in anger at the strange pain in his chest and that he had just been injured by one of the weakest youkai on earth, Inuyasha let his hand soak the blood that had been induced by the creature. 

"Blades of Blood!" Frowning as the arches of blood sliced the oni to ribbons, he shifted his attention to the mansion, where an insistent, almost urgent tug pulled him in the direction of. Something definitely was wrong. Immediately his thoughts turned to Kagome. He had felt a similar pain when she had almost died on the island, only it hadn't been as prominent as now.

"Kagome." Forgetting about the straggling oni that the others could no doubt handle, he raced off toward his home at breakneck speed, apprehension and fear building within his gut by the second. She wasn't outside; she couldn't be, not after she promised to stay inside, which meant that she had to be in the basement. Bursting through the front doors of the mansion, he sped down the stairwell that led the basement. If something had happened to her, he would never be able to forgive himself.

His fears were confirmed when the sickeningly, sweet smell of her blood drifted up from the stairwell. Striving to curb his panic but failing, Inuyasha jumped down the stairs in one bound and down the hall to where Koji and two of the other bodyguards stood, their bulky bodies blocking his view. He knew something was wrong before he even stepped foot in the room.

"What the hell is going on?" he insisted skidding to a halt, his heart in his throat as he stepped past the threshold.

Koji's blank façade revealed nothing. "Inuyasha-san, go back and wait upstairs."

The hanyou paled, his bodyguard never having referred to him with the honorific title since he had known him. "Where's Kagome?"

For the first time, the inuyoukai seemed unsure of himself, a flicker of disinclination and something else passing over his face and confirming the fear Inuyasha had kept in check up until now. Growling, he shoved his bodyguard aside and looked down to where the two youkai were busy taking her vital signs and compressing a cloth to her injury to stop the bleeding. The rest of the blood drained from his face. He dropped to his knees beside his fallen love, the blood on her shirt that was gradually fanning out making him sick to his stomach.

"Her vitals are falling at a rapid pace," Koji said softly, "she's holding on by a thread as of now. We don't know how much longer she'll hold out at this rate. The paramedics have already been alerted and are on their…"

The inuyoukai's word's faded from Inuyasha's hearing, his attention solely trained on the immobile form of his wife. "Kagome," he whispered brokenly, amber eyes filling with moisture. "You have to hang on wench. You have to hang on for me, for us. You left me once, on the island, you can't do this to me a second time." He reached out with a shaky hand to take her hand and flinched at the coldness that already began to take over. She was dying, and it was entirely his fault.

End.

* * *

**AN**: More drama, more suspense. Hope you liked. As for the next chapter, I've already started it and will probably have it up in a week. And in regards to the next chapter of Escape, I have no idea when I'll be updating on it. A year has passed but my writer's block hasn't. Hopefully I'll have time to update on it this month. God bless ppl! 

_**Jade**_


	22. The Blunder

**Disclaime**r: I don't own, so don't sue.

**AN**: Well here it is, finally. I know I promised to get this chapter up sooner but drama such as being kicked out of my house and having to find a job has taken up the majority of my time, and now that I'm back in college, I have to work twice as hard since I have twice as many classes. There are only a couple of more chapters left and I think I'll be able to get all out within the next month, so hold on to your britches for the grand finale. Many thanks to my wonderful beta **Kimmie** for doing my dirty work for me. And thanks to all of my readers and reviewers whom I love dearly. This is all for you guys. Enjoy.

* * *

**FrameofMind**:holds up hands: Guilty as charged. I think you're the only person who saw through how I kind of rushed Sango and Miroku into the relationship without any tact at all. I actually have to go back and redo that chapter in its entirety since my main focus was on the Inu/Kag interaction. I guess you have also noticed I'm big in the melodrama department. I went back and read the last chapter and did see how you would think I was overdoing it, especially with Kouga's scene, but I was taking into consideration that he is a youkai and that he still thinks of Kagome as his property, so his emotions would naturally be more…intense then that of an ordinary human male. Thank you for your tips and strategies that I will definitely put to heart. If I actually had a coach like you, I can only see myself becoming better as a writer.

* * *

**The Blunder**

* * *

Anxiety and dread built within the chambers of everyone's hearts as they awaited news of Kagome's condition, emotions on high rise from both lack of patience and the doctor's inability to report back to them if she was going to live or not. Mouths set in thin lines of some; unshed tears in the eyes of others, the general frame of mind of the occupants of the waiting room all geared toward the same grounds. With apprehension teeming so gravely, so thickly, nobody made any moves to comfort one another in this time of darkness, each person wrapped up in their in own thoughts and fears of what lay in store for the girl clinging on to life by a thread in the emergency room.

It had been two hours since she had been picked up and transported to the hospital, two hours since the lives of everyone close to her had been brought to a standstill, nothing else being of any relevance apart from any new information the hospital personnel had to offer, although no word had been received other than the customary report of her current physical shape when they had first arrived.

Dragging his fingers through his hair, Miroku blew air from his mouth in pent up frustration with how much time it was taking for the doctor to inform them of how the surgery was progressing. His eyes drifted around the congregation of humans and youkai alike, each one coping in a different way. Sango sat to his right, hands clasped together in her lap, eyes closed as if deep in meditation, her expression unreadable. Beside her sat Kouga, whose gaze was fixated intently on the emergency doors, his body jerking upright in anticipation every time someone walked out, none of whom ever made it over to where they waited.

On the couch opposing them sat both sets of parents, both mothers sporting identical, puffy, red eyes and swollen, tear-streaked faces as they waited with fists clenched. Inutaisho's arms were folded across his chest, his brows furrowed in deep concentration as he stared absorbedly at the ticking clock that hung from the wall adjacent to the coffee and snack machine. Ryo sat bent over his knees with his face in his hands, hair draping past his shoulders in a tousled mess. Ayame paced the floor back and forth, having not stopped since they had been escorted to the waiting room, her face taut with tightness, her lips pulling back into a dour grimace accompanying every glimpse she took of the clock.

Miroku slanted a glance to over where the hanyou sat in the corner on the floor, a sleeping kit in his lap, who had cried himself to sleep an hour ago after beating himself repeatedly over the head when he was told what had happened after he had lost consciousness. A slight frown came to the monk's face, his concern now redirecting itself to his long time friend, who had yet to say anything from the time when Kagome was brought in. Inuyasha's expression had remained neutral, neither his body nor his face revealing what exactly was going through his mind at the devastating point in his life as his fingers absently toyed with the child's hair. He sat cross legged with his head settled back against the wall, a disconcerting, empty void occupying his typically spirited amber eyes as they stared unseeingly straight ahead.

Chest heaving, the monk set his sights back to the hands that lie fisting his khakis in a restraining position. Miroku couldn't imagine what it must feel like to be in Inuyasha's shoes at present; to be in a position where someone he held so close to his heart was on the verge of death; to be situated under helpless circumstances in which one could do nothing but pray and hope that everything would turn out for the best.

He lifted his gaze just in time to see paramedics hurriedly wheel an insentient young woman into the ER, her blood soaking the white sheets that she lay under, the red liquid trailing down the arm that hung out from under the sheet. Grimacing at how much pain and death revolved around hospitals, he released his khakis from their imprisonment and brought his hands together in the traditional prayer pose. '_Hopefully Kami-sama will be gracious and grant us more time with Kagome. But if not_,' he speculated closing his eyes in preparation, his mouth pursed in disquietude, '_I don't know what we will do without her in our lives, or more importantly, how Inuyasha will go on, if he chooses to do so at all._' Putting his faith in the will in both Kagome's desire to live and the mercy of higher beings, the monk began his prayer within the folds of his mind.

* * *

"Her vitals are falling fast doctor." The black-eyed nurse swiftly inserted and attached an IV into one of the veins in her arm, concealing the dread she felt mounting within her stomach in a mask of professionalism that she was still trying to perfect ever since she had been given the internship a year ago. Still relatively new to the ER scene, she couldn't get over how many things could go wrong, how much pandemonium thrived here, how many people died on the very table that the doctor was working to try and save the life of the girl who looked no older than nineteen.

"Blood pressure is falling under eighty! Heartbeat is starting to fibrillate! Nurse, wheel over the defibrillator, stat!"

"Yes doctor." Moving hastily, the intern zigzagged through the throng of other rushing nurses to get to the machine. She wasted no time veering the apparatus back over to the operation table. She had learned early on that time was precious in an operating room. In the time that it could take to retrieve the machine, it may be too late for any type of resuscitation to the patient. She would try her hardest not to let down the person whose life was being put in their hands.

She charged the device and handed her doctor the paddles, watching as he expertly positioned the electrodes symmetrically across the patient's chest. "Make sure you apply direct pressure to the wound. Everybody ready? Clear." A single black arched upward as the electrical jolts were applied to her heart.

"No good. Up the voltage to 280. Clear!" Another spasm caused her body to jerk upward, landing with a loud thump back onto the table.

"Doctor, she has started to hemorrhage again," the nurse on the opposite side of the table said, hands busy with trying to stop the gush of blood that had begun to heavily leak from the wound in her side.

"Give me 320!" he shouted at her, paddles positioning over her chest once more.

Doing as she was instructed, the intern turned the dial to 320 and silently prayed that this would do the trick, that all of their efforts to save her life would not have been in vain.

"Clear!" She almost smiled in relief when the monitor conveyed that the steady, rhythmic beat of the girl's heart had returned to normal as ventricular fibrillation was restored.

"Good job people," the doctor congratulated handing the intern the paddles and wiped the sweat from his face with his forearms, "now let's get the bleeding under control and then we can-" He cut his sentence short as the heart monitor flatlined.

The doctor cursed and quickly rushed back to the dying girl on the table as he rolled up his sleeves. "Commencing with chest compressions."

Her hand went to her throat as she watched the doctor placed his hands over top of her heart and began pumping repeatedly. Instinctively counting his repetitions, she felt her throat tighten as a minute went by, then another, and another, until his hands discontinued their motions, gray eyes grave as he shook his head to the rest of his team. "We've lost her."

Her heart sank. She had had high hopes for the young woman. It was heartbreaking to see how quickly her life had been taken from her when she had just become of age. She would never fall in love, or have kids, or explore the world. It was incidents such as these that made it difficult for her to understand why people wanted to work in this profession, to have to endure situations where they would have to witness people die right before their eyes because they were unable to save them. But then there were those occasions when the doctors were able to bring people back from the threshold of death that made her want to stick with her line of work, like the young woman earlier who could have died without the quick thinking of the doctor and staff here.

A hand on her shoulder cut through her thoughts, causing her to come back to the present. "Yes doctor?"

"Could you make sure to tell the girl's family?" he requested rubbing his tired eyes. "They're in either waiting room C or D."

"Of course, sir." This was the part of the job she absolutely hated. Breaking news to a family that one of their daughter or son, brother or sister, husband or wife, had just departed to the afterlife was something that every physician hated doing. Schooling her face so that it wouldn't divulge how much she was affected by the distressing news, she walked down the hall toward waiting room C. With any luck, she wouldn't have to supply the family with a therapist to help them cope with their loss.

* * *

Inuyasha struggled to keep his mind a blank slate, concentrating on everything from the regulation of his breathing to the soft snores of the kit in his lap, anything to keep him from plunging into the bottomless chasm of desolation that threatened to sever his heart into an irreparable compilation of shards. It was hard, stalling against impending darkness that would undoubtedly consume his soul and maintaining a continual string of reassurances that his mate would live, that soon, Kagome would be back in his arms and everything would be as it once was.

'_Everything will be fine. And as soon as she gets out of surgery, I'll make sure to buy some flowers and bring her oden since she hates hospital food. Fuck. I hope I have money_.' Ignoring a tightness in his chest he hadn't known existed, Inuyasha gently shifted his body so that he could get his hand inside of his pocket without waking Shippou, relieved to find a couple of spare bills he had placed there earlier today just in case of an emergency.

He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, grimacing when his intestines twisted and coiled within his gut. A small, bitter smile curled at his lips. '_If I can't even convince my own body that she'll be ok, how the hell am I supposed to convince myself?_"

With the passing of every second, every minute, every hour, he could feel his inner youkai growing increasingly more and more impatient, knowing full well that he should be by his mate's side in her time of need and it was taking a sufficient amount of self-control on Inuyasha's part from keeping his youkai side from emerging. The agglomeration of exasperation and agitation forming in the pit of his stomach churned with a slow-burning, inextinguishable fire. He gritted his teeth against the compelling inclination to rip this place to pieces until he found Kagome, the need to see her gradually take over his mind until he had to resort to digging his claws into the floor beside him to keep from his inner youkai from surfacing completely.

As if sensing his internal distress, Shippou whined in his sleep, his diminutive arms wrapping around the hanyou's thigh as much as he could and burrowing his head further into the warmth.

Some of Inuyasha's internal turmoil ebbed away at the kit's subconscious attempt to comfort him, bringing a small, fleeting smile to his lips before disappearing as soon as it had materialized as his thoughts turned to how the child would take it if Kagome didn't make it. Shippou had already suffered through losing one family and it would kill him if the woman he had just begun to think of as his mother was taken away from him.

Inuyasha closed his eyes to shut out the coldness that chilled him to the bone that her absence brought on. He had come close to losing her so many times. And it was sad that each time the outcome had been a result of his actions, the first time being when he deliberately pushed her out his life after she 'supposedly' cheated on him after seeing him with Kikyo, the other when she had almost died of hypothermia because of his lack of regard towards her condition when she was ill. And now, she was probably lying on a surgical table dying and it was all his fault since he had sealed her fate when he made her wait in the basement for him, thinking that it was in her best interest.

'_I should have never let you out of my sight_. _I'm so sorry Kagome. I promise that if you make it, I'll never put you in harm's way again. I'll take you far away from here; someplace nice where it'll be just the two of us, someplace where we can finally be alone and not have to worry about our idiot parents making decisions for us or dumb friends that can't solve their own fucking personal issues. I swear I'll make it all up to you, even if it takes the rest of my life_.' Tears of guilt and pain struck the back of his eyes with a vengeance, his soul feeling as though it were being torn into two from the nerve wracking strain that coincided with the affliction of his guilt laden conscience.

His furry appendages twitched as he heard the doors to the emergency area open, his eyes immediately following the direction of his ears. And it was at that exact moment in time that he knew the answer to the recurring question and doubts that plagued his mind. Swallowing hard while trying futilely to smother the gut clenching terror that held him captive, Inuyasha slowly stood to his feet as the nurse walked with a certain air of ambiguity over to where they waited, mindless of the child that had been sleeping in his lap until he vaguely heard the kit's angry protests at being woken up so forcefully, his senses all attuned to the human female.

Before anybody had even took heed of the nurse's presence, Inuyasha was already in her face, his gut twisting in fear as he quickly unearthed the underlying dolor in her ebony pools that was cleverly cloaked behind an amateur pretense of refinement, one in which foretold of the fate of his beloved even before she opened her mouth. Icicles formed within his taut stomach, compressing his organs together so tightly that it was making him physically ill. "She's dead isn't she," he choked out as best as he could through his constricted esophagus, his mind rejecting what his eyes clearly ascertained.

She hesitated with her answer and in that split second, subconscious reaction was all he needed to know for verification of his mate's condition. "We tried everything in our power…"

Inuyasha slowly backed away from her, his ears unhearing as he brought his hand to cover his mouth, the bile in the back of his throat threatening to spill forth. '_It's not true. It couldn't be true. She wouldn't leave me. She can't leave me._' He crouched down to the carpeted floors as the world began to spin, mirroring both the maelstrom of turbulent emotions spinning out of control within his mind and heart. Inuyasha ran his fingers through his hair and squeezed his eyes closed to shut out the flashing images of Kagome lying dead on a gurney under a bloodied sheet, her lifeless blue eyes glazed over with the sheen of death. '_They're lying. They just want to keep her away from me. She wouldn't leave me._'

A deep, overwhelming sense of loss struck him like a blow to the chest, and if it hadn't been for his remarkable sense of balance, he would have surely bowled over by the sheer magnitude of devastating emotions assaulting him to the very core of his existence. '_Kagome_,' he thought gritting his teeth, the pain in his heart almost too much to bear from the combination of fear of a life without his love and the anger with himself for not being able to protect her. Chaotic emotions convulsed in a dangerous amalgamation within his mind, body, and soul, pushing him so close to the edge that he could feel the thin line that separated him from his youkai side blurring.

He squeezed his eyes even tighter, his will against suppressing the emerging shift in his blood waning. Without her, he had nothing to live for, nothing to protect, nothing to look forward to; his life was meaningless, there was absolutely no point in going on. And anything, without a doubt, would be better than suffering through the unbearable, expanding void within in his chest that was gradually overtaking his soul at the loss of his mate, the guilt and anger at himself devouring him to the very core of his existence, an empty hollowness he knew would never be filled again being left in its wake. '_Forgive me, Kagome._' Releasing the reigns of restraint that had always kept his dual side in check, he allowed his unruly, raging blood to consume him entirely and sank into the darkness that ate away at his heart.

* * *

Inutaisho could feel the change in his son's youki as soon as the dawning of Kagome's fate was revealed through the nurse's shoddily veiled pity on her face. Having no time to mourn the loss of the young woman he had come to think of as his daughter, the taiyoukai shot up and made a mad dash for the hanyou before things got out of hand. Inuyasha threw back his head and let out a guttural howl, so raw and full of intangible emotions, that it broke the taiyoukai's heart. Eyes snapping open to reveal purple irises swimming in a sea of crimson blood, the hanyou snarled maliciously, his fangs bared and lips curling back with hatred, his claws poised to strike and would have succeeded in ripping out the poor nurse's throat hadn't Inutaisho leapt upon his son before he could lay a claw on her, knocking him to the floor to prevent him from hurting himself and anybody else for that matter.

"Inuyasha, damnit, snap out of it!" Inutaisho commanded in a loud, baritone voice, his own muscles bunching in exertion as he tried to restrain his son's wrist above his head as his legs flailed behind him.

If he heard his father's decree, the turned hanyou gave no outward sign of it and continued thrashing wildly beneath his father, the desire to unleash the wealth of potent and virulent emotions coursing through his heated blood on anybody or anything in his path clouding his mind of everything else, including the well-being of those around him.

The inuyoukai growled, inwardly wincing as one of the hanyou's fangs caught his flesh, creating a rather deep, jagged laceration on the older youkai's wrist, the blood seeping from the wound and down his arm only seeming to act as an incentive for rapid extraction from his father's hold, as the hanyou's attempts to become free became wilder and more desperate.

"Nurse! Bring me the strongest tranquilizers for youkai you've got!" Beads of sweat began to dot his silver hairline, a clear indicator of how much effort he was putting into confining his son to the floor as the medic rushed off back into the emergency room for the sedatives, the distraction being exactly what Inuyasha needed as he was able to break one of his wrists loose from taiyoukai's grasp. "Get a hold of yourself boy!" he barked, just narrowly missing the swipe of one of his claws that had been aimed for his face.

Suddenly, some of the albatross of subduing the buffeting hanyou was transferred to that of another individual. A perfectly arched brow raised in question as Kouga swiftly stooped down next to him and pinned Inuyasha's uninhibited limb to the ground with one hand and with the other forced down his chest so that it would help in impeding his unruly behavior.

Catching the wolf's eye, he sent a silent nod of approval and gratitude. His face devoid of any emotion or traces of what he was feeling at the moment, Kouga nodded back, his attention returning to the problem at hand, his mouth set in a grim line. Thankfully it wasn't long before the nurse came back with two other, burly medics at her side, a relatively large needle in her clutches. The medics hurriedly came to their aid, restraining the hanyou's head for whatever reason. Inutaisho gulped as the nurse approached with the inoculation, a hint of the translucent liquid trickling down the needle and had to turn his head as she prepared to stick it into Inuyasha's neck.

It wasn't until he felt his son's squirms lessen and discontinue completely that he knew the boy was down and out for the count. Sighing, he released Inuyasha's limp wrists and got up, his hand automatically reaching for his pocket. He retrieved his mobile phone and immediately punched in the numbers to the only person he knew could help in this state of affairs. "Toutousai, I need that prototype now," he spoke before the other man could get out a hello. "I don't care if it hasn't been tested out yet. This is a dire emergency. Bring it to Tokyo General Hospital."

Snapping the phone shut before the old man could respond, he looked down to where his mate was now cuddling their son's head in her lap, her head bowed as tears ran plentifully down her cheeks. His heart contracted painfully within the cage of his chest and shifted his gaze to the sofa where Hitomi had just fainted in Ryo's arms, a surprisingly composed expression blanketing his face as he laid his wife on the couch, but Inutaisho knew what really lay behind his calm façade. It was strange, how easily he read the utter shock in the man's brown eyes when not one year ago he would have easily missed the signs of his friend's shocked state. They had undergone a lot during the course of their three month alliance. They had had their share of ups and downs; he had seen his partner at his worst and vice versa. But he had never expected something of this enormity to occur, at least not while he was still taiyoukai of his domain.

His jaw tightened. How had this happened? How had he allowed his enemy to get this close to his family, this close to breaching his line of defense and kill one of his own? He had been stupid to assume that supplying a team of bodyguards would suffice the growing menace that threatened to harm the people close to him. He had been even more foolish and selfish to involve innocents like Inuyasha, Kagome, and their friends into a power struggle that would only suit his needs and wants. So caught up in the whirlwinds of business and dominance, he had neglected to look out for the welfare of anybody but himself. The thought disgusted him to the point of nausea.

"Sir, are you the father of the hanyou?" Inutaisho turned to stare coldly at the fidgeting human who didn't quite come to his full height of 6'5. "What do you think? Do you see any other silver haired, amber eyed inuyoukai around here?"

"Err, n-no s-sir," the man stammered indecisively, tugging at the collar of his scrub shirt in obvious discomfort at being in the presence of the powerful taiyoukai. "It's just that we have an extra room down the hall if you want to keep your son there for the time being until his mood stabilizes and the tranquilizers wear off."

Inutaisho waved him off. "See to it then. And make he's secured tightly to the bed. Kami knows what kind of temper he'll be in when he awakens." Paying no further heed to the man, he flipped his cell face up and dialed another number, his golden eyes becoming encased in ice when he heard the voice on the other end of the line. "Koji, report to me immediately," the taiyoukai commanded, a disdain that he rarely displayed twining with the authoritarian tone of his voice. It was time to get to the bottom of this and rectify mistakes that had gone too long unresolved.

* * *

He knew the instant he had returned to the world of consciousness when the dreamless state he had been floating in was lifted. In its wake, was a straining pressure that weighed heavily upon his chest, forcing air from his lungs as he struggled to fathom what the hell was going on with his body and why it felt as though somebody had cut out a piece of him; which in turn brought about a profound sense of lacking and despondency.

'_Kagome_.' Memories of the fight with the oni, finding his mate bleeding to death on the basement floor, and learning of her death barraged his psyche in such an unforgiving manner that it almost brought tears to his eyes. The knowledge that he had been the one that had led her to her downfall was tearing the remains his soul apart, piece by piece until he was sure nothing was left of it.

Adamantly holding the unspoken emotions that were beginning to gather in the form of liquid in his eyes, Inuyasha moved to bring his hands to his face only to find that something was constricting his movement. His mind went alert instantaneously, his ears snapping up and eyes flying open to survey his surroundings.

"What the fuck is going on?" he growled lifting up his head from the bed and glared at the unyielding straps that bound all four of his limbs to each corner of the hospital bed.

"Calm down boy. The restraints are for your own good. We didn't know how you would react when you awakened and didn't want a repeat of what happened in the waiting room."

Inuyasha's eyes connected with his father's, who sat coolly beside the hospital bed to his right. The hanyou quickly blinked away the tears that had yet to fall and stared back at the older youkai expressionlessly. "You didn't answer my question."

The taiyoukai stared at him, his passive gaze betraying no emotion. "After you learned of Kagome's fate, your youkai blood took over and you went into a blind rage."

A fleeting flash of pain flitted across his features when his father spoke her name, but disappeared as fast as it had come. Closing his eyes, Inuyasha settled his head back down against the downiness of the pillow, fatigue replacing the blank expression he could no longer keep in the place. It took entirely too much effort and energy to force himself to care about his appearance in front of his father. There was no reason to. There was no point in doing anything now. "Did I hurt anybody?" he asked vacantly, opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling instead of meeting the probing gaze of the taiyoukai.

"No. With the assistance of Kouga, we were able to hold you down until they were able to inject you with the tranquilizer." Inutaisho watched to no avail as his son's expression remained as it was at the mention of the wolf's name, a pang of sympathy and sadness hitting him hard at what the boy was suffering through. "I had Toutousai bring over the prototype which will aid in keeping your blood in check." He pulled out the prototype and leaned over to place it on top of the bed beside him and wasn't surprised when the hanyou didn't even bother to look what he had placed beside his constrained body.

"It's a sword, the Tetsusaiga. Using one of my fangs and a bit of primitive technology, the old coot was able to come up with an object that is in direct correlation with your blood." He pulled the rusted katana out of its sheath and held it up to the light in inspection. "It's a little old looking but with the right amount of application of energy and power, you could transform this dingy thing into a formidable weapon, though I doubt you'll need anything of this sort in this day and age. Just make sure that you're about fifty yards from it at all times and you should be fine." Inutaisho sighed when the occupant of the bed continued to stare into space. "Aren't you even going to look at it?"

A brief silence ensued after the inuyoukai's last words, filling the room with stillness and implicit tension. Slowly, Inuyasha returned back to reality, his gaze sliding from the white ceiling to his father's face, the cold, lethal glint in the hardening burnt sienna colored irises of his eyes causing Inutaisho to become inwardly perturbed. "Where's Koji?"

"In the waiting room. Why?"

"I'm going to kill him, why else?" Inuyasha spat harshly with venom lacing his every word. "Untie me up now."

"He didn't do it."

"How the hell would you know? I know it was him. He set up the entire thing from the battle with the oni he lured out to that sorry ass excuse to go back into the house for more bullets. He had been planning to kill Kagome all along!" Inuyasha snarled and yanked roughly at the leather, white belts that bound his wrists, the hospital bed jumping inches off of the floor of the downright force behind his endeavors to extricate himself from the confinement of the bands. "How could I have been so stupid? This was a fucking inside job from the beginning."

"It wasn't Koji," Inutaisho sighed massaging his temples to alleviate some of the stress that had accumulated considerably over the past two hours. "The thought had crossed my mind but it couldn't have come from any of the bodyguard's guns. Those bullets were specially made to take down youkai. If Kagome had been shot with one of those bullets, the bullet would have damn near blown a hole in her stomach."

He watched as his son's face pale and realized that his choice in words could have been better. "Listen," he said softening his voice as he watched the fight drain from hanyou's face, "I have my men working now-"

"Can you get out?" Inuyasha requested wearily, his eyelashes fluttering down to shut out the disturbing images of his mate's bloodied body that looped consistently through his mind, taunting him over and over again for being unable to save her and making his heart break each and every time without fail.

Inutaisho opened his mouth to say something, but words evaded him. Sighing, he rose to his feet, wanting to say something to comfort his son in this time of darkness but nothing coming to mind. "I'll be outside the door if you need anything," was all he was able to say, much to his disappointment. When the boy didn't say anything in response, the taiyoukai regretfully took his leave, silently closing the door behind him. There was nothing he could do to ease the pain of loss. It was something that only time itself could heal.

"How is he?"

Inutaisho looked up into the puffy, tear-stained emerald eyes of the wolf youkai. "Broken, devastated, crushed. How is everybody else?"

Ayame gave him a watery smile. "Pretty much the same. It just feels so…surreal. I can't believe she's dead. It just doesn't feel right, like this wasn't meant to be or something. And I can't help thinking that she's going to show up any moment and tell us why we're so sad." Tears began leaking from her eyes.

The taiyoukai laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, ready to give her some words of comfort and hope that he had been incapable of articulating to his son when a sudden, loud crash from the room he had just exited caught both of their attention and that of the entire floor. Chest constricting tightly as thought of his enemy killing taking away yet another one of his clan creeping into his mind, heorderedAyame to stay put,flung the door open and bolted inside to find Inuyasha gone from the bed, his straps decimated to tatters on the floor, the window on the opposite side of the room shattered to pieces where it looked like he had escaped. Inutaisho didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.

"Is everything alright sir?" Koji asked running into the room, his eyes roving around the damage that was done, mentally assessing the possibilities and likelihoods of the cause that were demanded of his profession. "I see that not even the youkai strength bonds could hold down that pup."

"Grief is a great motivator for achieving any feat. Do we have any leads on her killer?"

"My men are working on it as we speak. But on a personal note, I did note some kind of expensive male cologne lingering in the air upon arrival." He frowned. "It had to be a human. I don't think a youkai would have the tolerance to handle such a strong smelling scent."

"So you are saying a human male breached that house which I had specially designed to be impenetrable?"

Koji raked his hand through his short locks in mild frustration. "It would seem to be that way. But he would've had to have some kind of knowledge on the interior of the house or at least in some point seen the inside."

"Look up on that. In the mean time, I want you to assemble a team to tail my son to make sure he doesn't get into any kind of deep trouble. He has nothing to loose at this point and for that I fear for his life."

The inuyoukai bodyguard nodded curtly and recovered his mobile device from his jacket pocket. "I'm on it."

Inutaisho let out a sigh. "At least he took the damn sword," he mumbled following Koji out of the room, completely unaware of the amber pair of eyes watching inconspicuously from his hiding perch under the bed, a dawning so explicably lucid that it made him have misgivings about his own intelligence. He knew who it was. He knew who killed his mate. A savage snarl that he tried his best to disguise for fear of getting caught ripped through his chest. Betrayal, anger and hurt intermingling to form a colossal ball of smoldering rage within him.

Rolling out from the under the bed with Tetsusaiga in hand to his feet, he bolted out of the previously fragmentized window which had been made solely as a distraction while he was supposed to sneak out the hospital through the back. But with his mind running amuck with unbridled violence and fury, that option had been ruled out on the spot. The wind whipped his silver tresses around him as he gracefully sailed from the eighth floor to the ground, and even before his foot touched the pavement, he was already tearing across the land, his vision blurring with red, his fangs bared with murderous intent and eager to tear the flesh of who had ripped his soul bare when his mate was taken from him.

It was his fault. If he had noticed sooner, if he hadn't been so caught up in his emotions and drama and had used his head instead, this wouldn't have happened. Why hadn't he paid closer attention to the man's quiet, probing stares and intuitive readings of his home? The guy hadn't been checking out how huge the place was, but his future point of entry. Ignoring the burn of his muscles as he pushed himself to his limits, Inuyasha increased his speed tenfold, the scenery going by so fast now that it all seemed like a haze of flickering lights and shadows.

He was going to kill him. '_No, I'm not going to kill him,' _he thought, his lips twisting into a twisted, sadistic grin_, 'I'm going to fucking rip his skin from his body, then slice off each of his limbs slowly so that he can have a taste of the pain that he has caused me._' Slowing as he entered the neighborhood of his intended victim, his eyes skimmed the numbers on the houses until one in particular jumped out at him. Inuyasha came to a complete halt in front of the two story residence that had the appearance of the perfect little family, with the two cars in the driveway, the grass cut neatly and the bushes trimmed to perfection.

His eyes narrowed to slits, his grip on the sword in his hand tightening, his knuckles turning white in response as he looked up at the white house. '_This is for you Kagome. I swear on what's left of my soul I won't let your death be in vain_.' Curbing the insistence on behalf of his youkai side to charge in there and kill anybody in his way, the hanyou slowly stalked up to the front door, amber eyes seething underneath of the stoic pretense. Once reaching the porch, he leaned over and pressed the doorbell, careful to conceal the underlying wrath and impatience coursing throughout his system.

Inuyasha knew who it was even before she opened the door, his nostrils filling with the sickening familiar scent that was unfortunately ingrained in his memory. The lock on the door disengaged and the door opened, revealing a rather annoyed female. "This isn't a good..." Her brown eyes widened in surprise, which quickly reverted to fear. "What are you doing here?"

Roughly pushing past her and stepping inside of the foyer, his ears swiveled like radars atop his head as he attempted to locate the position of his target. "Where is he?" he fired at her, his claws involuntarily flexing, eager to cleave the man to shreds.

Kikyo ran in front of him before he could take another step, her face inefficiently screening the panic that was beginning to show. "What the hell are you talking about? And who do you think you are coming into-" Her words were cut off as his hand, faster than she could blink, brutally clamped around her neck and lifted her a foot off of the ground, subtle hints of stark terror causing her body to tremble in his unforgiving grasp.

"I am only going to ask you one more time before I snap your neck and break you in two, bitch," Inuyasha growled maliciously, venom dripping from each of his words, his gaze darkening so that his eyes took on an eerie, inky black manifestation. "Where is he?"

"Kikyo?" The hanyou's ears spun around as a masculine voice floated from the right side of the house. "Who was at the door?"

Dropping the woman on the floor, Inuyasha flew to the other side of the house, his youki flaring to staggering heights as he laid eyes on the piece of shit in the form of male human guzzling down a can of beer on a leather sofa. Without a second thought, the hanyou snatched the man up by his collar and threw him mercilessly into the big screen television set that was situated not too far from the couch. A deafening crash accompanied the sparks and bits and pieces of glass that flew ubiquitously all over the carpet along with the blood-spattered body of the man, who lay unmoving amidst the bedlam.

His face blank, Inuyasha walked amongst the rubble to where the unconscious man laid facedown, the crunch of glass shards beneath his shoes providing a reassuring ring in his ears. Stooping down, he seized a handful of the man's hair and yanked it up. He studied at the small streams of blood that seeped down his face from where the splinters of glass were embedded in his skin, and yet felt somewhat unfulfilled from his course of action. Maybe once he killed the man would the revenge bubbling in his gut be satiated. Elongating his claws, he brought the sharp incisors to the human's throat, primed to give him what he had brought upon Kagome. Scum like him didn't deserve to breathe, let alone live.

"Inuyasha stop!"

"Why should I?" he spat not taking his eyes off his target. "He stole my mate from me. Why shouldn't I take what he rightfully took from me?"

There was a hesitant pause on Kikyo's part before she spoke up again. "Because if you won't do it for me, then at least do it for Kagome. She wouldn't want you to kill in her name."

"Shut up!" he barked angrily at her, knowing she was right but not wanting to admit it to himself, and tore his gaze from the human to the woman not two feet behind him, her arms now supporting the weight of their supposed child, whose eyes were closed as he slept contently in his mother's hold, a small, satisfied smile curved at his pink lips. Forcing his eyes off of the sleeping bundle to the mother's pleading eyes, he glared at her. "What the hell are you doing with him?"

"You can't kill in front of our son," she said semi-confidently, her eyes falling to the cataleptic man on the floor.

"The hell I can't," Inuyasha replied coldly. "Do me a favor and drop the act with the kid. It's getting old." Keeping his gaze on her, he tightened his clutch on the man's brown hair until the pain in his scalp sluggishly brought the man to back consciousness, a low groan slipping past his lips. "And if you don't give me some answers now, your boy toy here will never see the light of day again." He put just enough pressure on the skin of his neck that to allow blood to trickle down for emphasis.

Fear for his life impelling her to comply with the hanyou's wishes, Kikyo clenched her teeth as though divulging in this topic caused actual physical pain. "Fine, I'll tell you all that I know, just leave Shinju alone."

"Good." Letting go of his hair, Inuyasha let Shinju's head slam back onto the floor and rose to his full height, his bright jewels of sepia cut to slits. "Let's start from the beginning and if I even have the slightest suspicion that you're lying to me, next time I won't hesitate to slit your boyfriend's throat. Now where the hell did that brat come from and why are you trying to pass him off as mine?"

* * *

**End.**


	23. The Lies

**Disclaimer**: I only own the plotline.

**AN**: It didn't take too long coming out with this one now did it? For those who are confused as to who the mysterious murder, try rereading chapters 19-20. He didn't play a major role, but of course, that was the point. And for those who have theories about what's to come…read on. Thanks as always to my wonderful beta Kimmie. And many thanks to all my reviewers. I really do appreciate your feedback. Enjoy.

* * *

**Clorox**: Ooh. Aren't you the perceptive one. I forgot to add in the fact that Inuyasha suppressed his youki so that his presence would go unnoticed. Many props to you for pointing out that little detail. :hands reviewer rose:

**Corner Girl**: I live about forty minutes away from Baltimore but I have a couple of friends who live up there so I'm always in the city. Nice to know that there are some Marylanders in the crowd. Lol.

* * *

The Lies

* * *

"I'm waiting," his words sliced through the eerily silent air like a blade, his deceptively calm demeanor doing nothing to conceal the virulence in his voice, the only thing staving off the powerful need to sever the man's head from his body being that he wouldn't be able to get answers with her in hysterics.

Kikyo shifted uncomfortably on her feet, her eyes drifting down to the slumbering infant in her arms, a tug-a-war of emotions struggled for dominance within her conflicted brown eyes. The consequences of betrayal were permanently branded in her mind, thanks to _him_. He had made it all too clear to her that should she violate their contract, the repercussions would be terminal. Her mind contended that she hold her ground for the sake of face and the guarantee of her survival against his wrath.

Torn, she glanced to the fallen form of the semi-conscious man on the floor. He had been there for both her and her child when everyone else shunned her. He had embraced her with open arms when her own family turned their backs on her. He had given her his love when she had all but dismissed the seemingly useless emotion from her life. Her heart swelled with the foreign sentiment Shinju had brought upon in her meaningless life, the tightening of her throat and blind fear just thinking about him dying confirming the muddle of uncertainty. Clarity prevailed above the tempestuous storm of doubt and clashing wills that reigned in her mind. Her gaze revisited that of the unmoved hanyou. "It's a long story."

"Then I suppose you'd better get start because I'm not going anywhere until you tell me everything, including who the hell ordered this filthy human to kill my mate," he deadpanned with arms crossed, his facial features frozen in a somber mask of obscured acrimony as he awaited her testimony.

Releasing a sigh of long suffering, Kikyo sat down on the couch her love had been occupying not five minutes ago. "I don't know where to start."

"How about telling me where the hell that kid came from for starters," he supplied bluntly, an edge of impatience creeping into his voice.

She smoothed the downy, white hair atop of the baby's head as he murmured a string of incoherent gibberish in his sleep, causing his mother's lips to turn upward into a tender smile. "He's really adorable you know. I can't believe I actually planned to abort him at first. That would've been the worst mistake of my life, more so than having my own family turn against me. In the end, I'm glad I made the right choice, the only one I've made in a long time actually."

"This tête-à-tête is going nowhere fast." He unfurled his crossed arms and held up his right hand to let her see the augmentation of his claws as they lengthened in width and height, his eyes slanting a purposeful look to the figure sprawled out on the floor.

"That night at your party," she began evenly, quelling the sudden bout of panic from arising at the sight of his growing claws and what harm they could inflict, "I wanted to get back at you for throwing away what we had and humiliating me in public, and what better way than to break you and Kagome up. You were already drunk out of your ass when I got there, so needless to say that it didn't take much to convince you to come upstairs with me. After I got you settled on the bed and locked the door, I tried to seduce you into having sex. We made out for a while, but the moment things were about to get really heated up, you suddenly pushed me off of you and ordered me to get out." Her lips turned up into a tart smile. "To think, even in a drunken stupor you still managed to remain loyal to her."

"What happened next?" he deadpanned unfazed.

Kikyo shrugged. "Since I was feeling angry and embarrassed, I got drunk and slept with some random guy that I still to this day have no idea who he is. A couple of weeks later I found out that I was pregnant. My parents made me choose to go through the abortion since having a child out of wedlock would only tarnish their image or have the baby and support it on my own." She let out a cynical bark of laughter. "I haven't talked to the bastards since."

"That doesn't explain why the kid looks like me and carries my scent," Inuyasha said callously, refusing to pity the woman who played a key role to all of the drama in his life in the first place.

She cast him an irritated look. "I was getting to that. Well after my parents practically disowned me when I chose to keep the baby, I moved in with a friend and decided not to go to college after graduation in favor of getting a job to sustain my unborn child and myself. The first few months of my pregnancy were the toughest. Nobody would hire somebody without any experience and fresh out of high school. I was forced to get a job at a fast food restaurant, one in which I hated to the point where I contemplated having the abortion just so that I could get back in my family's good graces and get my old life back. And you know what? It's all your fault."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything in response.

"Or at least I thought so at the time." Her eyes wandered to the ceiling as memories past flooded her psyche. "I hated you for the longest. I hated how you had everything, and how I had nothing. I blamed you for all of the things that went wrong in my life. I even began plotting how I would exact my revenge on you during what spare time I did have."

"Is this when you decided to give the child the appearance of a Takeda and pass him off as mine?" he asked, his words saturated in sarcasm and boredom.

"Can I finish my story?" she snapped, the irritation at having him infiltrate her home, hold her boyfriend at claw point, and having to recount the painful memories of her forgotten past taking its toll on her already high strung state. "About a month before I was due to have the baby, I get a call from some guy, telling me that he has a job opening at his company and would I be interested in being his secretary; that I would get a six figure salary with benefits for both me and my unborn child. Something told me to decline and hang up the phone. Hell, it isn't everyday that you get a random phone call from some businessman offering that much pay for a secretarial job. But I was desperate for money and it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"What was the catch?" Inuyasha fired relentlessly, his mind slowly piecing together the information she was providing him with what he already knew.

"I was getting to that part," Kikyo ground her teeth together, her tolerance for his lack of tact beginning to wane. "I met him in person the next day and gave me the terms of my contract." Her expression lost some of its annoyance as her gaze dropped to the baby on her lap. "He said that I have to subjugate my baby to some kind of experimental trial product that he would be putting on the market soon."

"What kind of product?"

She shrugged, toying with a strand of the baby's fine hair. "I don't know all the details. After he assured me that it wouldn't harm my child, I agreed to the terms and signed the contract."

"And so you made a deal with the devil," Inuyasha stated with a wry twist of the lips.

The muscle in her jaw hardened as she clenched her teeth. "I suppose you could say that, but what other choice did I have? The next day he bought me this house, a new car, and an unlimited credit card that's linked directly to his personal account. The other condition to my contract was that Shinju stay by my side to act as a bodyguard, but somewhere along the line he became more than that." She dared to sneak another glance in the man's direction. "A week after my delivery, I didn't have the heart to subject my child to whatever experimental project he was working on and tried to back out on our deal."

"And am I correct in assuming that didn't work out as planned?" he inquired objectively.

"I was dead set on getting him to terminate the contract…until he brought up your name."

White ears snapped up. "What did I have to do with any of this?" he asked suspiciously.

"Hell if I know. All he told me was that he would do something that would bring you to your downfall; that this would be the ultimate revenge against you. Somehow I wound up agreeing to go through with it and gave my baby to him. An hour later, I received a baby hanyou back. I was supposed to play the part of the distraught mistress who's stuck with your bastard offspring. "

"Wait, what happened to your kid?"

"This is my kid, Inuyasha." Kikyo bent down and nuzzled the child's cheeks. "They did something to change his appearance, that's all."

"What the hell did they do to him?" He stared at the baby hanyou, lines of perplexity creasing his forehead into layers.

She didn't answer.

Anger coiled and churned at the lengthy silence that enveloped the room, his eyes hardening back into cold, auburn-colored stones. "If you want your boy toy to keep his insignificant life, I suggest you give me some answers." He crouched down beside Shinju and pressed his sharp incisors into the side of his neck, a groan forcing its way through the man's mouth as the claws began their decent into his flesh.

A wet sheen of tears glazed over her eyes. Shutting her eyes as an onslaught of scenarios that volleyed through her mind in a conflict of interests, the repercussions of telling the secret he had made her swear not to reveal as one contender and the life of the man she loved as another. She was cornered and there was a damn thing she could do about it. A sardonic smile touched her lips. "I guess that there's no harm in telling since I'm already a dead woman for telling you this much anyway."

Inuyasha retracted his claws in favor of watching her movements as her fingers nimbly unraveled the blanket from the baby's body without waking him up. Discarding the terrycloth blanket onto the sofa, Kikyo gently sat the baby up on her lap and pulled down the blue collar of his pajamas so the nape of his neck was visible. "Look."

The hanyou came to his feet and in three long strides stood at her side. "What am I looking for?" he scowled as his eyes scanned the back of the child's neck.

Exasperation flitting across her face, she brushed a tender finger across the baby's neck. Amber eyes widened in surprise when a diminutive microchip that carried the manifestation of a glass shard appeared but for a second before blending back in with the kid's skin. "What the fuck is that?"

"All I know is that it emits a preprogrammed illusionary image," she murmured, and with one hand reached to touch the child's dog like ears.

Inuyasha's scowl deepened as her hand passed straight through the nonexistent ear. "Have you tried to remove the device?"

"Don't you think I've tried that by now?" she retorted tightly glaring at the hanyou, "You have no idea what's it's like to see the face of someone you hate on your baby's face. At first it made me physically ill to look at him because he looks so similar to you."

Inuyasha kept his features closely guarded so as not to expose the arrant disarray of emotions that had his insides knotting and twisting savagely around in his abdomen, the rudiment of all the complications that surrounded the merger and the company gradually coming to light. "Who is the guy that's behind all of this shit?" he asked quietly, every muscle in his body tense as he waited to hear if her words would confirm his theory.

Kikyo stared at him, ridicule written all over her face. "You, of all people, should know who's behind all of this. Hell, he's been in competition with your parents for years. I'm surprised they haven't told you about him yet."

"Who the hell is he?" he barked clenching his fists, trying and failing to keep his flaring youki under control. The sword by his side sent a warm, pulsing wave through his body, purging some of the disruptiveness of his blood and in effect, calming the anxiety and free running anger to an extent.

She winced at his loudness, unconsciously bringing the baby closer to her body to shield him from the rage radiating in powerful waves off of the hanyou. "Yamamoto Naraku is owner and CEO of the third leading industrial company that supplies innovative technology in the world. He's never quite been a match for Higurashi or Takeda Corporations, at least until now."

"What do you mean until now?" he growled, his vice grip on katana inducing splotches of white on the crowns of his knuckles.

"Do you know nothing of your parent's business?" Kikyo shook her head in bemusement. "The only reason your parents merged with the Higurashis is because both of their companies were steadily going bankrupt. They both were plummeting in both revenue and stock. The merger was a last attempt to regain their former status of being number one and to avoid being bought out by corporations."

"What are you talking about? There's been nothing in the news about all of this," he defended, his mind refusing to believe what he was hearing.

"Well I am Naraku's personal secretary," she smiled with a hint of slyness, "I see every piece of information that goes into his office, personal and business. All I know is that Takeda-Higurashi Corporations is declining and soon Naraku will be able to buy their company out, leaving the owners penniless and stripped of their title as the best in the industry."

Inuyasha felt a strange tightening in his chest as her words slipped past the barrier of denial in his brain. And suddenly, everything made sense. Why the wedding/merger had been sprung on both him and Kagome so quickly. Why they had targets for random acts of violence ever since they were married. Why their parents had hired the bodyguards for protection, or perhaps, for the security of their company. Why Kagome had been murdered in cold blood.

'_All of this is their fault,'_ hemused bitterly in revulsion_, 'they only cared for their fucking investments. That's all they ever cared about. And now because of the misdeeds and idiocy, Kagome is dead._' A lone shiver snaked down his spine as his thoughts turned to his lost love, the familiar pang of emptiness hitting him in the gut like a punch. He closed his eyes to push back the impending accumulation of tears that stung the backs of his eyeballs. He would avenge her death, even if it cost him his life.

Kikyo watched the play of emotions that skittered across his features, her heart silently going out to him. She didn't know what she would do if Shinju were taken away from her, the notion of him being cut out of her life causing her throat to close up in fear. She had been so stupid when she was younger, the things she did, the pain she caused. '_If there was only a way to turn back time, I'd do it in a heartbeat_.' "I can't even fathom what you might be feeling right now. If there's anything I can do, just let me know," she offered softly, "It's the least I can do after all the drama I've caused you over the years."

His eyelids snapped upwards, revealing a set of smoldering amber eyes, a primitive kind of hunger gleaming brightly in conjunction with an all-consuming fire that effectively swathed the emptiness and hurt that bound his soul in a stifling hold. "I think you've done enough," he viciously spat, his lips curling into a twisted snarl. "Where is he now?"

"In his office finishing up some paperwork," she provided, not even attempting to cover for her boss. "It's located about three miles to the west of here. Just keep going straight and eventually you'll see it. It's a dark, stone building with electric fencing surrounding the premises. You can't miss it."

A deep, growl rumbled in his chest, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. "Naraku." He would pay dearly. Inuyasha shot an awakening Shinju a murderous glare. This man was responsible for Kagome dying. He had pulled the trigger that had set off the chain of events that had led up to this point. His claws ached to tear the flesh from his bone, to cause him the pain and suffering that he rightly deserved. Inuyasha raised his youki to deflect the calming pulses from the Tetsusaiga, yearning to feel the hunger for the kill or vengeance for killing off the only love he would have in this lifetime.

"Please Inuyasha," Kikyo pleaded desperately sensing his intention and rose from the sofa to stand in front of the fallen man, water beginning swim in her brown eyes. "Leave him be. He's only a pawn in Naraku's twisted game. Shinju was only doing as he was told. I'm sorry for your loss, really I am, but hasn't there been enough blood shed? Please, let it stop here. I know neither of us deserves your mercy for what we've done, but just this once, walk away and I swear that you'll never hear from the likes of us ever again."

A mental picture of serene, blue eyes popped up accompanied by a forgiving smile in Inuyasha's mind. Heart lurching in response to the image of Kagome, Inuyasha shut his eyes to make her go away. Inwardly, he knew that she wouldn't him to exact revenge in the form of mindless slaughter in her name. It went against everything that she stood for. Snarling in rage, he wretched himself away from the murdering bastard before he did something he would later regret and flew toward the front door.

"Good luck…and thank you, Inuyasha," her words reached his ears as he ran past the threshold of the house en route for Naraku, his mind on one thing and one thing only: revenge, at any cost.

* * *

Wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, the gray haired doctor washed the blood from his hands and forearms in the sink of the operation room. "Wheel her to her room, room 853," he instructed one of his fellow colleagues.

"You did a great job Dr. Shitake. I only hope that one day I could be half the doctor you are," a slender framed woman in blue scrubs commended.

The old doctor grinned at the residence student and puffed his chest out to display his pride at her praise. "Well little lady, retain a clear, focused head and keep striving to be the best, and perhaps you will, maybe even more," he winked, drying off his hands with a nearby towel. "Do you have her chart?"

"Right here." She handed him the board with the necessary documents attached. "Everything is in there and in order."

"Thanks darling." He nodded his head in approval after flipping through the sheets. "I'll be back. Make sure those interns clean up. You know how I hate blood splattered floors."

She laughed. "Will do sir."

Slipping the chart under one arm, Dr. Shitake whistled cheerfully as he exited the OR. It was nights such as these that made him grateful to whatever deity bestowed him with the skills he possessed. Helping people were his main priority in life, which was why his wife left him fifteen years earlier and why he hadn't still hadn't had time to furnish the house he had moved into six years ago. But to aid someone in narrowly escaping the clutches of death and saving their family from the heartache was more than enough compensation for what his job entailed.

He took the board from under his arm and glanced down at the information. Higurashi-Takeda Kagome. She was a fighter and stubborn as all hell. There hadn't been one complication involved in the surgery, something he couldn't say for all of his patients. Even though he hadn't talked to her, he already liked her and looked forward to meeting with the spirited young woman after she came to.

Pushing open the doors of the emergency room, his eyes landed on waiting room C. A frown marred his scruffy features as he saw the utter despair of the people occupying the room. Crying women, bawling children…what was the meaning of this? Did he have the wrong chart? He cleared his throat to get their attention. "Excuse me, are you all the relatives and friends of Takeda-Higurashi Kagome?"

Ten pairs of eyes immediately put him on the spot. He shifted uncomfortably under the heavy gazes of the humans and youkai in the room, confused as to why they were acting as though the girl had died.

"Are you the doctor that was supposed to help my little girl?" a petit woman with ebony hair spoke up, separating from the rest as the spokesperson of the group, her eyes puffy and swollen from shedding so many tears.

"If you're referring to Kagome, then yes ma'am, I am. My name is Dr. Shitake and I was the head surgeon in charge of-" His words choked in his throat as the woman came at him with fists flailing wildly, screaming incoherently at him in a shrill voice. He raised his arms to safeguard himself from the mad woman's thrashings, which was proving to be quite a feat as the brunt of her frontal attacks caused him to stumble backwards until she had him trapped up against a wall. "Would someone get her off of me?" the doctor shouted using his board as a shield, disinclined to believe that these people were too wrapped up in their own worlds to notice the predicament that was currently pummeling him with her tiny fists.

"Calm down Hitomi," a man with short, wavy hair came to the doctor's rescue. Enfolding his arms around her waist, he lifted his hysterical wife with some degree of effort away from the poor physician.

"I'm sorry about that," another woman spoke up, dabbing her eyes with a napkin. "This has been hard on all of us, especially Hitomi."

Dr. Shitake stood from his hunkered position, salvaging every ounce of dignity that was left after almost being beaten down by the little woman and adjusted his ruffled scrubs. "Well, in all of the years I've been working here, I've never heard of the surgeon that has just saved a beloved family member's life being assaulted for doing a job well done," he grumbled assembling the papers on the board back to their former arrangement.

"How dare you say that what you've done is a job well done!" the woman known as Hitomi snapped, still constrained in her husband's tight grasp.

The surgeon scratched his head in bewilderment. "This is the Takeda-Higurashi clan, right?"

"Yes, is there a problem?" the husband asked tiredly, fatigue discernible in his stance and his expression, "because if this is in regards to the funeral arrangements, we at least would like a twenty-four hours to mourn the loss of our daughter before dealing with the memorial service."

Gray brows furrowed together. "You must have been misinformed because I've just finished operating on Kagome. The bullet was lodged an inch away from her spinal cord, so there was a bit of an impediment getting it out without touching the cord, which was why the surgery took so long. She's still sleeping off the rest of anesthesia in room 853 and is due to wake up any time within the next half hour."

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" inquired an inuyoukai, his piercing golden eyes boring holes into the doctor. "Because if it is, rest assured that-"

"I never joke around when it comes to the health and welfare of my patients," Dr. Shitake interjected seriously.

"We were told from another doctor or nurse that she had died in the emergency room," Hitomi exclaimed regaining her composure.

"I assure you that your daughter is sleeping safe and sound down the hall. The surgery was a huge success. If the bullet had been any closer to her spinal cord, she could have suffered from paralysis or even death. She was one of our lucky cases. As for the mix up," the aged doctor sighed and rubbed his eyes, "it has been very hectic around the hospital today. One of the new interns might have been wrongly informed or confused. I promise you that this sort of thing doesn't happen very often."

"So Kagome's alive?" Sango asked cautiously, hope materializing within her heart and driving away the despair that had prevailed over all else for the past two hours.

"Most definitely," Dr. Shitake smiled. "And you can all see her albeit only one at a time and for only a short period. She's most likely to be out of it for a couple of days, but due to the unproblematic nature of her condition, Kagome will almost certainly be out of here in a couple of weeks."

A collective sigh of relief from everybody was followed by an instantaneous round of cheers and applause and tears of joy as hugs and kisses were distributed amongst the diverse throng of people. Laughter relieved the room of the overpowering oppressive atmosphere as Hitomi flung her arms around the stiff form of the doctor, who after seeing that she was in a sane state of mind allowed to her to embrace him fully.

"What room is Inuyasha occupying so we may inform him of the good news?" Miroku asked the taiyoukai with a goofy grin. "I'm sure he will be very much relieved by his mate's survival."

Inutaisho's smile fell from his lips as he deliberated over the whereabouts of a certain hanyou. "I don't know. He somehow managed to escape from his restraints and jumped out of the window to Kami-knows-where."

Megumi felt her stomach tie into knots. "He's under the impression that she's dead. Inuyasha's is liable to something rash and get himself killed. Has anyone been able to get a hold of him?"

"His phone is off," Miroku frowned snapping his mobile device shut.

"My men have still not been able to locate his position," Inutaisho confessed reluctantly, his jaw tensing in annoyance and impending doom. "With all that has happened, the boy is probably at the brink of insanity. When an inuyoukai mates, it's for life and usually when one of the pair dies, the other's death is not too far behind. And I'm afraid if we don't find him soon, I don't think we're ever going to see him alive again."

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He took in a deep, lungful of air to cool his temper. It'd do him no good if he just went charging into an unknown enemy territory with a hot head. If he was going to do this, he was going to do this right. Exhaling, he tilted his head up to gaze at the full moon, the white sphere extending fluorescent light over the sleeping land hanging idly amongst a sea of blackness. There was no need for the companionship of stars tonight. Tonight, the moon would stand alone, complete in both the strength and sovereignty of its own existence.

A wan smile appeared on his lips but for moment before ebbing away into nothingness as his eyes landed on the immense building before him, his senses picking up an almost impenetrable barrier protecting the electric fence that surrounded the estate. It was time. He pulled the Tetsusaiga from its sheath and waited as the pulsations enveloping the sword grew stronger and wilder as the rusted katana transformed into a giant, gleaming fang.

'_Kagome, wait for me. I'll be by your side soon._'

End.

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**AN**: Hope you like. The last couple of chapters will be up soon. 


	24. The End pt1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything affiliated with Inuyasha.

**AN**: Fast update, but that's only because this is part one and it was a bit too bland for my taste. The next part will be the grand finale and have all of the elements that you readers enjoy: violence, love, death. Since spring break awaits me this weekend, I'll probably get the rest written and posted soon enough. For those who were confused about the whole 'Kagome's not dead' ploy, I suggest you reread the last couple of chapters thoroughly. Once again, I must thank all of my loyal reviewers for taking time out to comment on how much you love the story. I love you guys! Enjoy the chap.

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**FrameofMind**: You're on top of this criticizing business. It seems as though you've discovered one of my many errors as I was writing out the end of this story. Actually, I had planned a different ending, but changed my mind at the last minute. (I really need to be more decisive. Lol) Later on I'm going to go through and edit this entire fic. And about the merger,…you'll find out soon enough why the marriage is so essential. Would you mind terribly beta-ing for me? I wouldn't mind help from a pro. ;)

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**The End pt1**

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'_Wait for me Kagome. I'll be joining you soon._'

Black lashed eyelids flew open, exposing a set of unusually brilliant blue eyes, the echo of the haunting words jolting her back to reality with a vengeance. Weakly pulling the facepiece that covered her nose and mouth down to her chin, Kagome groggily struggled for a moment to take in the compulsory gulp of air. Squinting at the brightness of the white room, she allowed her eyes time to adjust before assessing her surroundings. She was in a hospital; that much was for sure. Lifting a hand to rub her aching head, she winced at a sudden tug at something sticking out of her arm and looked down to see an IV tube imbedded in the crook of her right forearm.

"Oh Kagome, you're finally awake." The bed-ridden girl only saw a blur of blue and black before being enveloped in a woman's arms. Kagome cried out as a knife-like, piercing pain shot through the side of her stomach to the lower region of her back.

The woman immediately jerked back, releasing her from the embrace. "I'm sorry. I forgot about your fragile condition. I'm so happy that you're alright."

"Mom?" Kagome croaked once the spasms in her abdominal area subsided.

Hitomi swiped at a stray tear that leaked from the ocean of salty liquid in her eyes. "I can't believe that you're okay. That fool of a nurse scared the hell out of us when she misinformed us about your condition." She blew her nose into the tissue in her hand. "I have to remember to talk to whoever's in charge around here to fire that little wench."

Confused as to what was happening, Kagome closed her eyes and tried to focus on the last thing that she could recall, which was proving to be quite a feat with a maddening migraine drilling a hole into her brain. There had been the battle with the oni. Inuyasha had made her stay in the basement with Shippou. She had wanted to see if there had been any progress in the battle, but there had been a man with a gun. A streak of awareness hit her like a bolt of lightning. "Where is Shippou? Is he okay? Are the others okay? Where's Inuyasha?" She struggled to come to an upright position. Another shooting pain burned a path through her insides, drawing a scream from Kagome as she fell back against the pillow.

Her mother immediately rushed to her side, her face the epitome of worry. "Sweetie, try to stay still. You've just come out of surgery twenty minutes ago and your body is still healing. The more you move around, the slower it's going to take you to fully recover." Hitomi retrieved a clean tissue out of her pocket to wipe off the sheen of sweat that accumulated on her daughter's forehead as she strained to regain her composure. "Shippou and the others are fine. They all came out of the battle with the oni unscathed, save for a couple of scrapes and bruises."

Kagome tried to be relieved with the knowledge that her friends were okay, but was unable to shake the inexorable feeling that something wasn't right. As her mother went on in details of her injury and the surgery, she could sense an unexpressed anxiety in both the nervous movement of her hands and the barely detectable edgy tenor in her voice. Kagome sighed. She was so tired of everything, particularly the unspeakable secrets that enshrouded her parents and their company. "Mom, what are you not telling me?" she asked frankly. "Enough with these mind games and underhanded tactics to keep us in the dark. You keeping things from me resulted in my being hospitalized, both times." It was a low blow, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Hitomi looked away, guilt written over her features. "I suppose I do owe you an explanation considering the circumstances."

"No, you would owe me an explanation regardless if I was hurt or not, you being my mother and all," Kagome responded striving to curb her anger to forestall the forthcoming sear of pain from her wound.

Pursing her lips together as she mentally debated rebuffing her daughter for treating her like a child or yielding to the girl and letting her know the extent of their fix, Hitomi resolved for the latter and pulled her chair closer to the hospital bed. The older woman settled down in the cushioned seat and ran a hand through her tangled mass of locks that looked as though it hadn't seen a brush or comb in weeks. "Kagome, before I tell you anything, just know that Ryo and I have made a lot of mistakes these past couple of months, but none of them were intentionally meant to cause you any harm."

'_And we see how that turned out_,' Kagome thought indignantly, but said nothing, knowing that it would only add insult to injury.

"The genuine reason behind our decision to merge our corporations was not only because we wanted to build a substantial empire, but also because in a matter of months, we would've been completely bankrupt."

"W-what?" Kagome sputtered instinctively sitting up, only to be viciously brought back down by an acute ache in her side.

Hitomi hopped back to her feet and helped her daughter settle back down on the pillow. "If you don't stay put young lady, I'm not going to tell you a thing," she chastised maternally and tucked the white sheets carefully around her form.

"I'll stay down," Kagome succumbed, wincing as the last vestiges of the throbbing pain receded from whence they came.

Once assured that her daughter wouldn't do more harm than good to her body, Hitomi took her seat again. "Ok, where was-"

"The bankruptcy," Kagome cut in, annoyed.

Hitomi slanted her a look that plainly expressed her dislike toward her tone when she was the mother figure here. "I suppose you can say that both Higurashi and Takeda Corporations got a little too comfortable being on top throughout the years. Yes, we have always been in competition with one another, but over time, we got too used to the idea of us in a long running tie for first. We grew lax, thinking that we were untouchable."

"And am I correct in assuming that you were wrong?"

"Very much so," the woman answered kneading her temples with dexterous fingers. "And to make a long story short, the overvaluation and speculation of stocks in addition to a deficiency in top selling commodities caused our decline in revenue. To make matters worse, one of the industries we had overlooked grew vastly in a brief period. Their owner made it quite clear that he would buy us out when we had reached the point of no return, which was advancing at that point. In a last attempt to save what we had worked so hard to forge, Higurashi and Takeda merged into one giant corporation. The marriage of you and Inuyasha only helped solidify the bond between our companies so it'd be harder for another company to buy us out."

She spared a glance to Kagome, who laid unusually quiet, azure eyes distant as she stared at the ceiling overhead. Hitomi's shoulders slumped dolefully, her daughter's silence making her guilt multiply tenfold. Deciding to finish what she had started, Hitomi continued. "Unfortunately one of the pitfalls of coagulating our companies with your marriage was a clause in the merger stating that if either of you die within the duration of the first two months of your union, the integrated corporation would dissolve back into its original companies, which would in turn make both us and the Takeda's penniless."

"Why didn't you tell us in the beginning?" Kagome asked inaudibly, not removing her gaze from the ceiling to look at her mother. "You could have saved us a lot of trouble if you had just been honest instead of covering it up to hide your slip-ups."

Remorse coiled and knotted in Hitomi's stomach. "I know sweetheart. And I am sorry for all of this. We never thought in a million years that our toughest rival would be so desperate as to jeopardize your lives in order to destroy what we had. Regrettably, we overlooked this fact and gave Yamamoto Naraku the upper hand in all of this. He rigged the plane you two were supposed to take to Hawaii to stop functioning, thinking that you both would be killed and Higurashi-Takeda Corporations would disperse. When that didn't work out, he organized that band of oni to attack your estate, distracting everyone while he sent a hired man into the house to kill you off. You don't understand how hard we're trying to convict him, but there's no way to prove our allegations since we have no evidence against him." A surge of tears overcame her emotional barricades and began to tumble down her rounded cheeks. She had endangered the life of her offspring and her friends all to keep her precious company and there was not a damn thing she could do to prevent another attack.

A lump formed in Kagome's throat, her eyes drifting to hold her mother's melancholy gaze. "It's not your fault…totally. And I'll still love you despite of everything. You just got caught up in something that you had no control over."

More tears fell from Hitomi's eyes. Standing, she leaned over the bed and gently hugged the injured young woman, grateful for whatever deities existed that she had been blessed with such a wonderful and forgiving daughter, one who looked past people's faults and one whose heart was so full of compassion and clemency that she didn't have room for condemnation, even when her life was constantly put on the lines. "I don't know what I did to deserve a daughter like you."

"I don't know either," Kagome laughed lightly, ignoring the brief spasm of pain that accompanied the embrace. She didn't know why, but it seemed like it had been years since she had last seen her mother. "I should be the one thanking you though. If it hadn't been for you guys, Inuyasha and I wouldn't have gotten back together. I guess in the end, it all turned out for the best." The corners of her lips dropped when she felt her mother stiffen at the mention of the hanyou's name.

Hitomi reluctantly extricated herself from the delicate embrace with a downcast expression. "About Inuyasha…" How should she put it that at present her daughter's husband was on a path to self-destruction because he thought she was dead?

Panic stirred in Kagome's gut. "Mom, where's Inuyasha?" she struggled to keep her voice even and balled her fists to keep calm, disregarding the pressure of the pulse oximeter against her palm.

"We don't know honey. After one of the interns told us you had died, his youkai blood took over and he became volatile. The medics had to sedate and restrain him in one of the hospital rooms down the hall. Soon after we found that he had jumped out of the window. His destination is still unknown, but Inutaisho has already sent his men out in search for him and they're hot on his heels."

'_Wait for me Kagome. I'll be joining you soon._'

The words rang distinctively within her mind, their origin deriving from the only person who would purposefully kill themselves in order to join her in the afterlife. Gasping, Kagome's hand flew to her mouth, crystallized ice forming in the pit of her stomach. Inuyasha truly believed that she had died. And that meant only one thing; that sooner or later he would commit suicide trusting in the fact that she would be waiting for him in the next world.

"Kagome, are you all right?" Hitomi helplessly watched the play of emotions on the girl's face, her heart aching at the sight of her daughter in so much pain and fear. How she wished she could do something to prevent Inuyasha's future from being in an oblong box.

Not trusting her mouth to make the necessary words, Kagome nodded.

"Don't worry, I'm sure that Inuyasha is fine. Inutaisho will find that impetuous boy before he does anything stupid, understand?"

She nodded in response once more. Silencing her unsaid fears and anxiety, Kagome feigned relief and closed her eyes as if in exhaustion. "Mom, I'm really tired."

Hitomi smiled understandingly. "Of course dear. You've been through so much today. I want you to get a good night's sleep and in the morning we'll sort everything out. By then, I'm sure that Inuyasha will be found and everything will be fine." She bent over and placed a loving kiss on her forehead. "If you need anything, I will be right outside in the waiting room, okay?"

Kagome gave Hitomi a watery smile before closing her eyes again, an indicator that the conversation was over and done with. Listening closely to her mother's footsteps as they exited the room, the door closing silently after her, she cracked an eye to make sure that she was indeed out alone in the room. Satisfied, Kagome opened both eyes completely and looked down at the various apparatuses connecting her to the machines that stood beeping around her bed. She grimaced. It would be undoubtedly more complicated to sneak out of her room with all of the devices monitoring her vitals. Even if she were to remove the electrodes from her chest and arms, the nurses would be alerted she was either dying or trying to escape, which would sequentially create more drama and commotion than her psyche could take.

'_How am I supposed to find Inuyasha if I can't leave the hospital without being noticed?'_ Tears of frustration began to collect in pools. There was absolutely nothing she could do. Never in her life had the feeling of unabridged helplessness been so intense. '_What I wouldn't give for a miracle right about now._'

A soft click ensnared her attention, directing it towards the opening door. She sucked in a sharp breath, her chest heaving with both air and hope. It seemed as though her miracle had just come in the form of a small kitsune. "Shippou."

The child smiled at her shyly as he quietly shut the door. "Hi. I just wanted to check and see if you were okay."

Kagome returned his smile. "I'm fine now. What about you? You got knocked out pretty hard when you were flung into the wall."

Shippou ambled over to the hospital bed before vaulting on top to join his guardian, but stopped short about an arm's length away from her body as something dawned upon him. He hung his head forlornly. "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to help you Kagome. If only I wasn't so weak, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I'm really sorry."

Biting back a grunt, she used to her arms to push herself upward until she was sitting up, much to the consternation of the protesting kitsune who thought it would be best if she stayed down. Kagome reached over and scooped up the young child in her arms. "Shippou," she cooed soothingly and kindly wiped the fallen tears from his face, "my getting shot was not your fault. What's done is done. I'm just glad that you weren't banged up too bad. I don't know what I would have done with myself if you had gotten hurt."

His shy demeanor returned as a pink tinge colored his cheeks. "You really care what happens to me?"

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? You are part of my family now." She chuckled as his surprised green eyes adapted the shape of giant saucers.

"Really? You accepted me into your family? Just like that?"

"Just like that." Eeping in joy, he leapt up and wrapped his diminutive arms around her neck, amazed that someone as nice and pretty as this woman could fill the barrenness of his heart after his family was taken away from him.

"I hope Inuyasha gets back soon," he mumbled into her neck, missing the subtle change in her scent as dread took the place of joy within her soul, "then we can be a real family again."

"Shippou, I need your help," she said swallowing the lump in her throat.

"What's wrong?" he asked sliding from her neck with eyes filling with worry. "Do you need me to get the doctor?"

"No, no, I'm fine, but Inuyasha is not. I have to get to him Shippou, before he does something really stupid that could end his life."

The kitsune nodded, the graveness of the situation bringing about an air of maturity that exceeded his years. "What do you need me to do?"

After quickly running through her plan and what Shippou was to carry out, Kagome began the tedious task of dislodging the assorted devices from her body and transferring them to that of the kit. She removed the syringe part of intravenous drip without a problem. Extracting the needle itself would be a different matter altogether. Quelling a bout of fear, Kagome took a breath in preparation for what she was about to do, her left hand landing upon the hollow needle that lay entrenched in her vein. She gritted her teeth and swiftly yanked the needle from her flesh. Choking back a yelp, Kagome allowed herself time to recuperate before commencing with the easier of her obstacles.

Shippou watched out of pure fascination as she pulled the electrodes from her skin and planted them on his chest and forearms. She unclipped the pulse oximeter from her forefinger and attached it to his. Finally free of all the constraining equipment, Kagome was faced with her next challenge.

'_Great, now how am I going to make it out of this bed without collapsing, let alone make it out of the hospital without being noticed? The things I do for that hanyou._'

Shallow breaths followed a muted scream of pain as she slowly disentangled her legs from the sheets and eased them off of the bed so that they were dangling by its side.

"Do you need help Kagome?" Shippou inquired biting his lip, the misgivings he possessed for her safety manifesting in his words.

"No, I can do it on my own." Her breathing coming in laborious pants, she held her own and gently slipped off of the bed. Kagome sighed in relief as the pads of her feet met the cool tiles of the floor.

"Here Kagome, before you leave, I want to give you some stuff that will help you out." Shippou dug around in the pockets of his pants, his face lighting up when his fingers enclosed around what he had been searching for. Bringing out his hand, he opened his fist so that she saw what lay flat in his palm. "This will cloak your scent so that youkai won't notice that you're escaping," he explained pointing to a leaf. "It will only do it for a couple of minutes, so you have to get out fast. And this," he held up what looked like a spinning top, "will serve as a distraction so you can slip past the guard at the door."

Intrigued, Kagome retrieved the magical gadgets from his hand. "What do I do with this?" she asked examining the sporadic patterns on the leaf.

"It's one of my many secret tricks," he boasted proudly. "Put it behind your left ear and it will do its magic all on its own. And all you have to do with the top is set it on the floor and pull the string. It will give a projection of a giant top and will have the inuyoukai out there running for it while you escape."

"Thanks Shippou. I really don't know if I could've done this without you." She stooped with some level of difficulty and kissed his cheek.

Another rosy blush fanned out across his face. "Good luck, Kagome," he said coyly, but sobered up all of a sudden. "And be careful. I almost lost you once; I don't want to loose you again for real this time."

"Don't worry," she assured him softly while putting the leaf behind her left ear, "I promise that I won't die on you. You have my word on it." Ruffling his carroty mane of hair, she braced her body for the suffering that was to come and began to shuffle across the room towards the door. Each step induced rippling streaks of stabbing pains that shot through her like lightning bolts. Her anesthesia had long since worn off, leaving her to feel every afflicting blow to her system owing to her injury. Kagome seized her resolve not to cry out with everything she had in her. She had to make it; failure was not an option, not when the stakes were so high.

By the time she made it to the door, she already felt drained and ready to pass out from the sheer enormity of the pain coursing through her body. Holding a finger up to her lips to quiet his tacit concerns, she aimed a smile of reassurance at the upset kitsune watching the amount of pain she was enduring from his perch on the hospital bed. She turned toward the door and waited as her breathing steadied. There was no going back now. Inwardly crossing her fingers, she used all of the stealth she could summon and soundlessly turned the knob.

Cracking the door, she noted not three feet away from the door stood one of the inuyoukai bodyguards that used to be stationed at their manor. His beefy arms were crossed against his massive chest, a no-nonsense expression donning his face as he studied everyone and everything going on around him with keen acuity, his attention not once diverted her way, presuming that everything was fine within the room. She chewed on her bottom lip as she knelt down. Her mind screamed in agony as wave after torturous wave of pain battered away at her senses. Gripping the side panel of the door as leverage against the undulating surges of conflagration that poured forth from her abdomen, she placed the top softly on the tiled flooring and with one fluid wrench, pulled the string to the contraption and let it loose.

It zipped out of the doorway in a flash and before the inuyoukai looked over to where the thing had come from; his vision was abruptly obscured by a blinding burst of light. Screams erupted from the hallway as a massive spinning top bounced along the walls of the corridor. Growling, the bodyguard temporarily left his post in pursuit of the foreign object that was causing an upheaval on the eighth floor with the assumption that his ward was secure in her bed asleep, not sneaking out behind his back half jogging down the opposite end of the hallway.

With one hand pressed to her throbbing wound, Kagome stopped her light jog once she had turned the corner and ducked inside of one of medical locker rooms. Unable to smother the searing sensation underneath of her hand, she released a cry that tore from her lungs, the angry pulsation behind the paper thin hospital gown amplifying so that her entire body felt as though it were on fire. Beads of sweat began to dot her brow as she struggled to gain her composure. '_I don't have time to stand here and catch my breath._'

Shoving the warnings in her mind that screamed at her to take it easier, her eyes scanned her surroundings, stopping on a rack that held a collection of white doctor jackets. Deeming that it would be impossible to get out of hospital in her present getup, Kagome lurched forward a couple of steps to the rack and shakily lifted one off of the stand. It took a great deal of effort for her to get it off of the hook and even more so for her to put it on. By the time she was finished, she was sweating profusely and panting heavily. Paying no heed to the signs that visibly illustrated her need to rest, Kagome swept her hair into a looser bun with a scrunchie she found stashed in one of the inside pockets and slipped on some tennis shoes that had been sitting idly on one of the benches, making a mental note to return them.

Blue eyes strayed to a clock that hung above the Pepsi machine. She had precious little time to get out before they noticed she was gone. Using the back of her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her face, she schooled her features into a stoic mask and strode out of the locker room. She nodded curtly to passing medics and patients as she made her way to the elevator. Unfortunately for her, she was not the only one going down and it was becoming trickier to keep up her façade. Sweat dripped in rivers from her pale face, her vision swimming in a sea of blurred colors and dizziness.

"Miss, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little under the weather," she forced a smile at the old man next to her.

He frowned at her answer. "Are you sure? Young doctors today, think you all are immortal."

'_Only the fifth floor?_' "I'm quite fine, really. In fact, I'm going home right now." This conversation needed to end now. It was taking up too much energy to form legible sentences.

The grey haired man nodded in approval. "Good. My son is a doctor here too. Yamahara Ken. Do you know of him?"

"I'm sorry, I just transferred here a week ago. I'm still unfamiliar with names and faces." '_One more floor_.'

"Ahh. Well don't push yourself too hard. Being a doctor is so stressful at times. I don't know how you people do it." The doors finally opened. "I wish you the best of luck."

Kagome could only manage a smile and swiftly stepped off of the elevator for fear that she would pass out from his incessant questions. The fires of hell clawed at her from the inside and it was taking all of her will power and then some for her to walk, let alone breathe evenly. She stared at the double glass doors ahead of her, the infirmity of her condition making the route to the exit seem as though there were miles and miles between her from her destination.

Without warning, a spell of depression draped itself across her heart, seeds of doubt and reluctance firmly implanting themselves in her mind. What if all of her efforts were in vain? What if Inuyasha had already returned? And if he wasn't, how was she was supposed to find him? As if sensing her uncertainties, her wound brusquely ignited into a combustion of flames, sending her teetering on her toes to the point where she wanted to keel over and die right there on the floor.

'_Wait for me Kagome. I'll be joining you soon._'

Gut-clenching panic seized her with an iron grip, expelling both the air from her lungs and the doubt from her mind. She knew he would kill himself for her, and even though it seemed like a noble cause, the notion of him committing suicide in her name made her heart bleed with guilt and despair. If he died, she knew she wouldn't be too far behind him.

'_I have to make it._' Kagome set her jaw and with the last remnants of her resolve, struggled to pull herself together. '_So this is what they mean when they say love makes you do crazy things_.' Silently chuckling to herself, she forced her body to comply with her wishes and slowly but surely, she continued with her expedition. Her lips tilted upward into a fleeting smile when her hands touched the metal bar of the door. With considerably more effort than it would usually take her to push open the door, Kagome stepped into the cool night air, welcoming the chilly breeze that met her overheated flesh with open arms and wasn't surprised when the burning in her side abated to a level where she was positive that she wouldn't black out.

"Gods, it feels as though I haven't been outside in forever," she mumbled allowing the fresh air to breathe over her skin for a moment. Once done basking in the coolness of the night, Kagome immersed herself within the tall shadows of the hospital building once recognizing that she could be pointed out. '_Now what?_'

Not to be disillusioned, Kagome kept her spirits up in hopes that she could find some kind of mode of transportation and was not let down when her sights landed on a certain red Ferrari parked not too far from her position. Now the only question that remained was that if it was indeed Inuyasha's beloved vehicle and if it was locked. Encasing her determination in a steel box, Kagome gave a once over on the entire lot just in case before approaching the car.

It was definitely his car. She immediately knew by his license plate: FUCK OFF. A wry smile upturned her lips. It was Inuyasha's alright. Her hand roamed over the side of the car until she felt the door handle. Praying that he had been in too much off a hurry to lock the doors, she pulled the handle, letting a puff of air when it opened smoothly. Grinding her teeth together, Kagome carefully got in; slouching tiredly in the seat after the door was closed. Who knew escaping from a hospital could be so much work?

She sat in the car for a minute, soaking in the distinct scent of her husband that clung to the interior. Kagome choked on tears, powerless to stop the flood of emotion that she had withheld so adamantly. Her body ached for his touch, his presence, and his words of comfort, his kisses. She needed him as much as he needed her. Kagome bowed her head. '_I can't go on without him. It feels like a part of me is missing. I don't know how I lasted four years without him, but our bond is so much stronger now than it was then. I don't know if I can do it a second time around…and I don't think I want to._'

Kagome sat up, totally dispensing the affliction that plagued her so badly, her fingers fumbling around the wheel in the darkness. Her breath caught when they wrapped around the keys that were still stuck in ignition. '_He must've been in a rush to get into the hospital and forgotten he'd left the keys._' With one turn, the Ferrari smoothly came to life, the soft purr of its engine that oddly mimicked that of Inuyasha's, providing Kagome with a significant amount of consolation. Her fingers ran across the steering wheel, imagining that it was his hands she was caressing instead of the silky expanse of the leather bound wheel.

'_I have to focus_.' Dispersing the bittersweet memories, Kagome switched on the navigational system. '_If I were in his shoes, where is the one place I would go if I had a vendetta?_' She punched in the buttons that displayed a map of Tokyo and its surrounding area. '_He's probably out of his mind with grief and blaming it on himself that he wasn't there to save me. Maybe he's so guilt ridden that he went to pier and threw himself off._' Fear's cold grip tightened around her heart into a constricting hold.

'_No,' _she calmed her arising trepidation_, 'he wouldn't kill himself knowing that my killer is still alive and well. He's doubtlessly tracking him down now to get answers and the guy's head, if he hasn't found him already. By now I'm sure Inuyasha has found him with his persistence and has what he came for, so then maybe he has found out that Naraku was behind this all along. So, would he be en route for his place or his company building._' Kagome punched in Yamamoto Corp. and saw that his company was not too far from here.

Hoping and praying that her instincts hadn't failed her, she switched the Ferrari to drive and maneuvered the vehicle out of the parking lot. '_Please Kami don't let me be too late._'

* * *

End. 


	25. The End pt2

**Disclaimer**: After 24 chapters and disclaimers alike, I think you've got the gist. Regretfully I only own the plotline.

**AN**: At long last, the ending is here, well the second to last ending anyway. This has been the hardest chapter I've ever written by far, which accounts for its lateness, as well as the fact that I've been kicked out of my house and am now homeless. While interesting, I must warn those that this chapter does contains elements of angst so beware. Big thanks to **_Kimmie_** and **_FrameofMind_** for being such wonderful betas and thanks to all of the reviewers who've left me such encouraging feedback. And now I'm going to proceed to pass out from exhaustion. Enjoy.

* * *

**The End pt2**

* * *

"Sir, we have a situation."

A single, ebony brow arched as crimson dipped irises observed the white-haired individual currently battering his shield on the monitor in front of his minion. "So, he is going to make it easy for me."

"Should I alert the local authorities or unleash our forces?" the panther youkai addressed his superior.

Naraku sat back and adjusted himself comfortably in the chair, twin pits of red glimmering with the anticipation of the kill. His tongue flicked out and ran across his lower lip. It had been centuries since his adversaries had the gall to attack him in a full frontal assault without the aid of the system, centuries since he had been able to employ the most ruthless of his tactics to annihilate those who so boldly defied him. Living in a time where rules and regulations were so adamantly revered, there was no room for the bloodshed and mayhem that once thrived in the olden days.

"Do you want me to deactivate the barrier?"

"No. If the hanyou wants to kill me so badly, he will have to break through my shield on his own." '_And if he does_,' Naraku mused in sadistic amusement, allowing one of his tentacles to slowly break through the surface of his palm, '_his life will be forfeit and I will personally send him to the afterlife to join his wench_.' He smirked as the tentacle tore across the room and pierced the panther's skull. '_Inuyasha,' _Naraku mused withdrawing his appendage, and watched unfazed as its head hit the table with a sickening thud, _'your life is mine_.'

* * *

Kouga felt a painful tug in his chest as he watched the red Ferrari barrel out of the hospital parking lot from the window. '_She loves him so much that she's willing to risk her health and possibly her life to save his_.' Fists clenching, he shut his eyes and tried to ward off the threads of jealousy and hurt. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't eradicate the feelings he had for Kagome. She had been such a huge part of his life, and still was. He would die for her and if he had had the chance, would have gladly taken the bullet in her stead. How was he supposed to let go of someone as beautiful and amazing as her and willingly give her up to someone as stupid and unappreciative as mutt face?

He opened his eyes slowly to stare out into the night, his throat tight. He was the one who had comforted her in her time of need and helped her through the various stages of depression that followed after the couple's falling out, and yet it all was in vain. For in the end, she opted for the flea brained asshole and went so far as jeopardizing her well being to make sure that the idiot didn't get himself killed. She had just got out of surgery not thirty minutes ago because of a gunshot wound that the hanyou had failed to protect her from, and had somehow managed to slip by her bodyguards and snuck out of the hospital all for him.

He pried his gaze away from the window longingly. By some means that were in no way apparent to him, the love they held for each other had survived, even after being dragged through the fiery pits of hell and back. Kouga flinched as another spasm of pain echoed within the solitary confines of what was left of his broken heart. He had been painfully aware that Kagome was still in love with Inuyasha even in the late stages of their relationship, and yet he had strived to gain what she had given so willingly to the hanyou. '_It's time for me to accept that she will never see me as anything more than a friend_.' He placed a hand over the area of his chest where the pain emanated. '_I just wish it didn't hurt so much to let go_.'

Like a jolt to the brain, it hit him. She was on the verge of death and about to place herself in a situation where she would be more of a hindrance than a help. He had to get to her before something happened to her. Kouga turned on his heel, ready to sprint out of the hospital to go to her aid, even if it meant the continued existence of the hanyou, when a hand latched onto his sleeve. He frowned at the monk. "What?"

Miroku stared at the wolf youkai, a knowing look glimmering in his violet depths. "Leave it be. It doesn't concern you."

Kouga shrugged off his hand and crossed his arms, impatience working its way into his scowl. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"How do you think you're going to come to terms with your breakup when you keep putting yourself in a position to get hurt?"

Kouga stiffened, the monk's words expressing truth. "I'm only going to give her a hand. Kagome is in no condition to walk, let alone drive. And who knows where that damned hanyou is. Do you really think she'll find him herself? And if she does, what help would she be if he's not in his right state of mind?"

"I think you're underestimating the bond that they share," Miroku kept his voice pacified to calm the agitated wolf. "Though Inuyasha hasn't given her his mark yet, the connection they share with each other is on another level entirely. And while I don't believe Kagome should be on the roads in her present physical shape, she's the only one who can help Inuyasha now. Trust her instincts Kouga. She knows what she is doing. She is the descendant of a powerful line of mikos." The monk laid a compassionate hand on his shoulder, an understanding look tilting his lips into a bittersweet smile at the youkai's torn expression. "Don't worry about her Kouga, she will be fine. Instead of your goals consisting of chasing the unattainable, you should set your sights on someone a little more realistic." Miroku coughed and discreetly inclined his head in direction of a female youkai sitting dejected on the far side of the waiting room.

Grimacing, Kouga stared at the red head, something akin to pity flitting across his face. "I've really trampled on her feelings, haven't I?" he questioned quietly.

"Yes you have," Miroku responded truthfully, deciding that a direct approach was better than beating around the bush. "And what better time than now to voice those unspoken apologies to her. It is, after all, the least you could do for breaking her heart many a time." He walked away and hid a grin of fulfillment as his trained eye caught the wolf youkai running an unsteady hand through his hair before striding over to Ayame. Perhaps things would work out for the best in the end in spite of everything.

* * *

Inuyasha unleashed a roar of frustration as he landed back on his feet, failing for what seemed like the hundredth time in breaching the barrier. Amber eyes glared at the enlarged fang. '_What good is this piece of shit if it can't get me through to the other side?' _With a snort of disgust, the hanyou rigidified his grip on the hilt and repositioned the Tetsusaiga in front of him, the fluorescent light of the moon glinting vengefully off of the enormous blade as he raised it into the air.

'_I have to do this. I have to avenge Kagome and make the bastard who did this suffer_.' In a blur of white, he tore across the distance that separated him from the barrier at break neck speed and vaulted into the air while simultaneously raising the fang overhead. Drawing every ounce of energy he could convene, Inuyasha released a cry and swung the Tetsusaiga in a downward arc onto the shield. Splinters of electricity sprung in multitudes from the point of impact as the clashing energy wrestled back and forth in a battle for dominance.

"Just a little more," he ground his teeth together, beads of sweat dotting his brow as he urged his weapon with all the strength he could muster into forcing the fang through while maintaining his equilibrium against the power emitting from the barrier that lashed brutally at him from all sides.

A sudden, sharp crack of dark energy belted heavily against the Tetsusaiga, the unexpected pitch in power causing Inuyasha to lose his balance and sent him flying backwards into the trunk of a nearby tree. Smashing straight through the tree, he tumbled across the grass until finally coming to a halt in front of thick underbrush. Hissing, Inuyasha sat up and winced at the dull throbbing stemming from his lower backside.

He picked up his head and took in the extent of the damage he had done to the barrier. "Fuck!" he swore angrily upon seeing that it was still intact and radiating with as much intensity as it had been before he had begun his barrage of attacks. "There's no way in hell I'm getting past that thing at this rate." His gaze drifted to the untransformed Tetsusaiga in his hands; the rusted katana a blatant symbol of his ineptness and lack of power. He shut his eyes and tried to depress the raw emotion clawing at his soul.

'_I've failed you Kagome_,' he ruminated ruefully, his throat welling up, '_There's nothing more I can do besides sit here and wait for my death_.' The katana rolled soundlessly from his open palm to the ground, his ears lowering in both defeat and disgrace. He was the worst kind of failure because not only had he not been around to protect her when she was shot, but he had botched the only chance he would get to confront her killer and take revenge for her murder. His mind flashbacked to when he had found her in the basement of the manor, her dying face twisting his innards in painful knots, her usually bright and playful expression pinched with agony, her colorless lips, the lifelessness of her body in his arms.

He squeezed his eyes shut, his heart giving a sharp lurch at the mental image. '_No, I can't give up. I have to do this for us. I won't be able to move on until I see his corpse sliced to pieces_.' Inuyasha let his hand close around the hilt of the corroded katana and entrenched the tip into the ground, using it for support as he pushed himself off the ground. '_I did not come this far to give Naraku the satisfaction of seeing me fall_.'

A snarl curling at the corner of his mouth as he stood erect, his back ramrod straight, and his sights set coldly on the object impeding his progress. The hand balled around the hilt constricted so tightly that blood began trickling from the indentures made by the claws piercing his own palm, the thick, red liquid blazing a steady trail down the sword. '_Kagome, I failed you once. I will not fail you again_.' Icy coldness threaded with the heated fury that raged in his veins, the convergence of the two elements unlocking a deep-seated incitement locked within the core of his being that goaded his youki with snatches of violent friction.

The sudden flare of power imparting from the katana that had ringlets of pulsing energy waves circling up his arm stirred Inuyasha from his trance. He made a small gasp at the brandished fang, an inundation of eerie, crimson color rapidly extending along the blade until it was completely swathed in red. "What the fuck is going on?"

The sword pulsed as if in response before giving him a slight tug in the direction of the barrier. Trusting in its intuition and guidance without question, Inuyasha took hold of the hilt with both hands, his lips curling back to bare one of his lethal accessories as he advanced upon his immobile adversary. "Alright you son of a bitch." He flicked the blade to the broad side. "Let's do this."

Air suddenly flared out from beneath the sword, the ripple of swirling energy that circled around the Tetsusaiga picking up speed and power. Without a moment's hesitation, Inuyasha launched into the air and after coalescing all of the volatile emotions running rampant in his body into the strike, he swiftly brought the fang down onto the barrier. Unlike his previous attempts, the emergence of the red Tetsusaiga ensued in a colossal clash of disparate energies as the malignant obstacle strained to in its upkeep, its shortcomings obvious as its inner workings flickered against the might of the fang and finally faded into nonexistence.

Having no time to gloat in his victory, Inuyasha propelled himself while still airborne in the direction of the edifice, its appearance all the more intimidating against a backdrop of shadows and thick, sloping fog that shrouded the terrain. Growling lowly, the hanyou slid to a stop, his ears swiveling in an attempt to pick up any type of commotion or activity, but the only sound that his sensitive appendages could detect was the rapid beating of his own heart.

A rush of wind whipping over his back made Inuyasha whip around, ready to face whoever or whatever was lurking in the fog. Both disappointment and relief swelled within him as only the dense, curls of fog met him. His hackles rose, the silence of the dead night air and the thickening of the opaque miasma doing nothing to abate his jittery nerves. "Where the fuck are you? I know you're here somewhere so stop being such a fucking pussy and show yourself!"

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth, hanyou?" Inuyasha's body jerked sharply in the direction of the voice, the smog parting like a curtain for the emerging figure, and found himself unable to contain the low rumble that reverberated deeply in his diaphragm as the bane of his existence stepped into the clearing.

"Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is, hanyou," Inuyasha spat, instantly taking note of the discrepancy in youki that his opponent emanated, an undisputable denotation of his mixed heritage.

Naraku chuckled darkly at the hatred and disgust aimed at his way. "Are you not happy to see me? But," he smoothed the wrinkles from the sleeve of his black silk shirt, "then again, I did attempt to kill you and yours on a variety of occasions. I must admit that I was moderately surprised that you and that fiery spirited wench of yours failed to die on the plane crash I so carefully orchestrated and even more so when you managed to get yourselves stranded on that tiny scrap of land. You win some, you lose some." His eyes hardened, the edges of his mouth rising into a half-smirk. "Unfortunately, losing is not something that bodes well with me, which is the reason why I took such great measures in seeing through my latest venture; something that was so simple, yet so effective if I do say so myself. Wouldn't you agree?"

It was becoming increasingly harder for Inuyasha to maintain his bearing, the sword in his hands beginning to quiver with the restraint it was taking not to charge at the abomination and slice him to ribbons, the unbridled fury tearing at his body begging to be released.

"It was so blatantly obvious that the oni were only a diversion. I don't know how you missed it." Crimson jewels glittered gleefully at the hanyou's noticeable flinch. "How did it feel, Inuyasha? To hold her dying body in her your arms as her life ebbed away before your very eyes? How did it feel to know that you are responsible for her death? That if you had only kept her by your side, instead of the confined room, she would still be alive." Naraku caught, with a certain degree of satisfaction, the flash of pain and guilt before the sweep of thick, white bangs lowered to shadow the planes of his face.

"Why?"

Had the malevolent hanyou possessed any shred of humanity within the cold chambers of his black heart, he would have winced at the young man's cracked voice, broken by the sorrow burdening his soul. "I suppose I could indulge in your questions since you're about to die. Consider it as a last request. Let me begin by saying that you are as pathetic as that human loving father and brother of yours," Naraku snubbed the anguish that rolled off of the hanyou in undulating waves, "The love of humans has weakened your state of mind, reducing the all of you to nothing more than sniveling fools. I find it nauseating that the once so-called, undefeated daiyoukai would allow human scum to infiltrate his home and taint his bloodline. But I am not one to complain, especially since it has given me the advantage in more ways than one."

"Why?" Inuyasha voiced again, his head still lowered though his tone had retreated from the brink of despair to a more stabilized pitch.

Naraku tsked. "Impatient, aren't we? For more than half a century I've been waiting to take that impertinent father of yours and hang him out to dry for reasons that are solely my own. And after waiting all of this time, I finally have that chance. His reign in the Western Lands is about to come to an end and once I rid this domain of him and all other inuyoukai ties, I will become supreme ruler, a title that should be mine anyway since his squandering ways have only hindered the progress of this realm."

"You're not answering my fucking question!" He snapped, his head rearing to expose molten pools of liquid gold that bubbled with vindictive spite, a tempest of mounting youki beginning to gyrate around his trembling form. "What did settling the score with my father having anything to do with Kagome and me?"

"Well if you'd let me finish and stop interrupting, I'd tell you," Naraku chided as though he were a child, completely nonplussed by his spike in power. "As you probably know by now, your father's company has been slacking for some time now and if I calculate correctly it would have started about the time that he met his human wench. So what better way to knock him off his high horse than by taking away his most prized possession? All it took was a bit of bribery to sway Inutaisho's faithful investors over to my side and an inside job to gather his company's innovative schematics to be forwarded to myself. It was supposed to be a quick, painless fall to the bottom. But he had to go and get smart," he sniffed indignantly. "Just as I was about to buy out his pathetic excuse of a corporation, he went and merged with the Higurashis, then had the audacity to use the stipulation of marriage to coagulate this impromptu mergence as if that would stop me from getting what I want. It only prolonged what was to come."

"Why the hell did you put Kikyo and her kid in all of this? And how did you manage to alter that kid's scent and appearance?"

Wicked amusement played across his face as he delved within the pocket of his pants. Inuyasha readied himself for whatever was to come, his left foot sliding away from his right so that they were shoulder width apart and dropping the Tetsusaiga down past his waist so that it effectively shielded his upper body.

Raising a brow at the hanyou's defensive disposition, Naraku retrieved a thin, shard-like fragment that held the exact appearance to the one that resided on the back of the child's neck. "This happens to be a Shikon shard, a ground-breaking piece of technology that will revolutionize the way we live. In the near future, people will have the option to appear how they imagined themselves in their wildest dreams, a feat that reconstructive surgery will never be able to accomplish. Of course it is only an optical illusion, but one powerful enough to fool even the toughest of critics, human and youkai alike. The use of Kikyo and her illegitimate brat was only a means to an end. With them, I was able to successfully infiltrate that house of yours, making it all the more easier to set you up for your downfall. As for the scent, all it took was a little black magic and a strand of your hair, which by the way you left all over the backseat of that limo."

Inuyasha cursed his stupidity. There was no way he could have foreseen this, but it didn't make him feel any better that he had unintentionally allowed the enemy to penetrate his home under such a guise that left everybody so open to attack. Like a knife, guilt struck him in the gut. '_Kagome_.' Tears unshed accumulated in his throat, the unwelcome lump nestling firmly within its walls as the tightening around his heart bordered unbearable. '_No, this isn't the time for mourning_,' he steeled his frayed nerves and quieted the rampant beating of his heart.

"Have you run out of invective remarks already?" Naraku commented idly. "It's a shame that cursing is the only thing you are proficient in. Too bad it did nothing to help the woman you claimed to love." A vicious smirk worked its way across his face. "Perhaps if you had bestowed her with the mate mark it would have forestalled her death, until a later date of course, but no. Being the incompetent hanyou that you are, I bet the thought didn't even cross your mind."

"Shut up!" Inuyasha snarled, fostering the stronghold of fury that was housed within his core as a means of stripping himself of the vulnerability and despair that posed as a hindrance.

"How does it feel to be as much responsible for her death as the one who pulled the trig-"

Naraku ducked just in time to avoid having his head decapitated by the enlarged fang that swept across the air, moderately surprised that the hanyou could move so fast.

Rage so thick that he could feel it manifesting the blood in his veins into molten lava, Inuyasha whipped around to face the other youkai, his dark, tawny colored eyes smoldering. "Fuck you and your bullshit." His wrist snapped the hilt of the fang so that the blade was eye level with his opponent. "When I'm done with maiming your ass, you will be nothing more than a pile of minced meat."

The corners of his mouth twisted down into an amused snarl. "Big words for such a weak, half-blood creature. Are you so sure in your abilities to wield a sword that you haven't possessed for even a full day?" A sudden charge of energy filled the space surrounding the black clad figure, dark air currents beginning to stir, his mass of wavy locks uplifting and wafting around his figure.

'_Shit_.' Inuyasha tensed in response to the intense amount of youki emitting from the other hanyou. '_This fucker is no joke. It's going to take all I've got to defeat him. I only hope my best is enough_.'

"Not so cocky now, are we Inuyasha?" Naraku's smile sent shivers of disgust and hatred trailing down his spine.

"Oi, don't be angry at me that you'll always be beneath my father. It's not his fault you're no match for the wit and cunning of inuyoukai and humans alike." He didn't see it coming until it latched onto his neck, the cold, leathery tentacle effectively cutting off the passage of air to his lungs as it hauled him into the air.

"To even insinuate that I am beneath your wretched kind is something I don't take kindly to," Naraku deadpanned and tightened the tentacle's hold on his neck. "Make no doubt about it; I will get what is rightfully mine one way or another."

"Go to hell." Bringing his free hand to grasp the end of the hilt, Inuyasha thrust the sword upwards and sliced off the appendage. Dropping to the ground, he coughed as much needed air returned to fill his lungs and turned up his face in disgust as the wriggling tentacle he had sliced off slithered back to Naraku and merged with his stub to form a new arm. "What the fuck are you?" Inuyasha swore and jumped out of the way as another onslaught of tentacles shot out of his arm. He rolled out of the way to just narrowly miss one of the pointed limbs aimed at his skull.

"What's the matter hanyou? Are my appendages too much for you to handle?"

Inuyasha hacked away at the seemingly endless bombardment of tentacles. Black and thick, they came at him with a speed and agility that had him turning at every angle to evade being pelted by the barrage. '_There's_ _no way I can get to him with these things in my way_.' Twisting, he snapped the blade down to hew the next cluster. Swinging his sword with his upper body and kicking off the limbs that had began inching up his legs, Inuyasha had no time to identify the foreboding menace behind him until it was too late. His eyes widened at the searing pain infusing his lower body and glanced down to see the thick tentacle that gruesomely projected from his stomach.

"Not quite as quick as I first pegged you to be boy." He heard the dark hanyou chortle.

"Damn…you." Ignoring the hot, shooting pains that sent agonizing tremors to every nerve ending in his system, Inuyasha gritted his teeth in preparation for what was to come and in one fluid motion flipped the Tetsusaiga around so that the piercing apex pointed in the opposite direction. Without wasting a second more, he thrust the sword behind him, intent on driving the blade through his adversary's flesh. A triumphant grin lit his face as he felt the sword find its mark and smirked at the scarcely audible gasp from the target.

Discounting the limb suspended from his body, Inuyasha spun around to finish the job, but froze. A grunt gargled by blood filling his lungs from the second tentacle that pass through his chest. Dropping the Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha struggled to free himself from the lithe bondages that were fast beginning to encase his body in a constricted, rubbery cocoon.

"Did you really think it would that simple to defeat me?" Naraku gave a light laugh as his tendrils continued to pervade and bind the hanyou's body.

Inuyasha managed a burbled sound between a growl and a yelp, an excruciating fire spreading throughout his body as two more tentacles pierced his thighs, continuing straight through to coil around his legs and keeping him rooted to the ground where he stood. Extending his claws, he attempted shred the elongated members only to be forestalled by the injection of the pointed appendages into both of his forearms. "You…fucking…" his words trailed off, the pain clouding his brain too intense to persist with his current train of thought.

"I see you're still able to spew those obscenities of yours even on the verge of death." Squeezing his limbs, a ghost of a smile graced Naraku's lips as he watched the dog-eared hanyou writhe with soundless screams. "Can you not bring yourself to summon up the slightest morsel of dignity, seeing as though you're about to pass on to the afterlife and all. I doubt that your wench would like it if profanity were the first words from your mouth when you meet up with her."

'_Kagome_.' Her name echoed quietly amongst the chaos in Inuyasha's head, bringing him enough comfort to alleviate some of his affliction. He smiled bitterly, his heart clenching with more pain than the restricting grip one of the tendrils had just latched onto his neck, white dots beginning to dance before his spinning vision. His talons retracted to their normal state, his hands falling away from one of the monstrosities that held a vice-like grip on his neck. Inuyasha closed his eyes, welcoming the numb-like feeling slowly overtaking his body, efficiently superseding the acute spikes of pain that nailed him to the spot. '_I guess I'll be seeing you sooner than I thought_.'

* * *

Kagome stomped on the accelerator, the prickling sensation at the edge of her psyche conveying just how staid the situation was becoming. '_Hang on Inuyasha. I'm almost there._' She glanced down at the navigational monitor near the dashboard. '_Only a couple of blocks more_.' Thankful for the lateness of the week night, Kagome sped past the red light without interference and made a sharp right, much to the protest of the stitches that held her wound in place. Chest heaving at the amount of exertion it was taking to operate the high velocity sports car, she swiped at the light sheen of sweat layering her forehead.

'_Two more blocks_.' The throbbing pull at her side grew more insistent as she made a sharp left. She knew of the torment she was causing her body and knew that she was going to be in a world of pain when all of this was over. But the upshot of her health was presently taking a back seat to a more pressing matter; one that concerned the safety of her hanyou mate. '_Inuyasha, I swear if you get yourself killed I'll never forgive you for as long as I live._' Her throat tightened, blue eyes glazing over with tears unshed. '_If you die, I don't know what I'm going to do. Is this how you felt when you heard of my death? Did you feel as lost and hopeless as I am feeling now?_'

The sudden sound of crunching metal to her left dragged Kagome from her thoughts. Thinking quickly, she yanked the wheel, centering the car in the middle of the lane before slowing to a stop and cutting the engine completely. She pressed a trembling hand against her chest to slow the violent beating of her heart and grimaced at the sight of the side view mirror dangling from a few multi-colored wires. Twisting around with a considerable amount of discomfort, Kagome silently cursed when she saw the parked car she had accidentally grazed by, the long, silver scratches on the surface of its blue door and its wrecked mirror causing her to inwardly flinch. '_This is exactly why I have chauffeurs_.' She made a quick mental note to see that the owners were properly reimbursed in the morning.

A cry escaped her lips as she turned back to face the wheel, the angry stretching of the stitches across her injury begetting another round of dizziness and nausea. Moaning, Kagome reclined her head against the headrest and shut her eyes against the oscillation of fire that seared the area surrounding the lesion, the aftereffects of her less than strenuous activities stirring a pounding headache from within the recesses of her skull. '_How am I going to stop Inuyasha if I can barely move without being in so much pain?_' She struggled to sit up in the seat. Another cry and an acute jolt of pain sent her back to her slumped position.

'_Damn it_.' Hot, salty liquid blazed branching trails down her cheeks, her hand unconsciously coming rest delicately overtop of her sutures. '_I can't give up. Not when I'm so close to finding him. And knowing him, he's probably half dead by now._' The thought provided her with no comfort and served to fuel her desire to reach her destination. '_I have to get to him._' Grinding her teeth together, she pulled herself from her slouched position, a fresh batch of tears being brought on by the raw pain eating her away inside.

The amount of effort and restraint it took just to bring herself upright drained enough of her energy that she was panting heavily and on the brink of passing out. Her body begged her to release her clasp on consciousness, to give in so that her body could have sufficient time to recover from the ordeal that almost left her for dead. '_No!_' She growled at her traitorous thoughts. '_I can do this. I can make it. Inuyasha will die if I don't get to him._'

Speckles of sweat streamed down from her forehead, the ashen shade of her face turning even whiter as she reached over to turn the key in the ignition. '_Why the hell did I cut the engine in the first place?_' Her shoulders sagged in both victory and exhaustion as the Ferrari rumbled to life. '_How am I going to make it to Naraku's if I can barely turn a key?_' Depression surmounted over her short lived triumph, the brutality of reality bombarding her optimistic thoughts with every possible pitfall.

"Please," the shaky tenor of her voice shattered the dark silence of the car, "allow me this. Please help me get to him in time. I can't lose him again. My heart won't be able to take it." The ray of hope she cast within her heart was soon squelched when after minutes passed, nothing happened, leaving her emptier than she had felt from the getgo. In a rare display of outward outrage at the world, her parents, Kikyo and her bastard son, Kagome screamed and slammed her small fists against the steering wheel repeatedly, every curse word and blasphemous phrase she had ever heard spewing from her mouth in such a way that it would have made Inuyasha proud. Pent up anger and frustration that had accumulated over the years of acquiescing to the deportment of an obedient and mindful child unleashing itself in an uncultivated and wholly indiscernible tangent that not even she was consciously knew of.

She suddenly froze mid swing and curse, her attention solely directly to the eerie blue light emanating from her skin, the soothing warmth from the mysterious light relaxing the knotting of her muscles. She gasped as a cooling sensation enveloped her from the inside, extinguishing some of the burn of her wound and providing warmth that quelled the disruptive turmoil of her soul. '_Is this my…miko powers?_' The bluish hue of her skin brightened before dimming and returning from whence it came, leaving her strangely revitalized. '_I wonder if it completely healed me._' Kagome lifted up her shirt and gently prodded at the gauze and bandage covering her stitches. What was once a stabbing sharpness in her side had converted into nothing more than a dull ache; not completely healed, but enough that she was able to move with reasonable ease.

Wordlessly thanking her miko ancestors, Kagome switched gears to drive and stamped on the gas pedal with renewed vigor. Urgency tugged at her senses as she rounded the last few blocks. Even with being an inexperienced and untrained miko, she could still feel the subtle change in the air. Rolling smog, thick with underlying iniquity met her as she pulled into the private street. Kagome squirmed uneasily in the leather seat and proceeded to guide the car further into the ill-omened vicinity, the breadth and solidity of the miasma increasing as she continued forth.

"How am I supposed to find him if I can barely see through this fog?" she murmured, squinting past the dark currents to the scarcely discernible silhouette of something, or someone up ahead. Dread roiled within her gut. Swallowing hard, Kagome stalled the engine, her hands quaking as she turned off the engine. '_Something is wrong_.' She pulled the handle to the door and stepped out. Her stomach turned over, her insides practically heaving at the density of the miasma that infiltrated her lungs. Covering her mouth and nose with a hand, Kagome treaded onwards toward the black blobs. Anxiety gripped her soul. '_Something is really wrong._' Unconsciously quickening her steps, she kept her eyes on the obscured shapes, an inkling of what could be pricking the back of her mind. '_No. No, it can't be._'

Bile climbed its way into her throat as her heart stopped beating. Hand falling away from her mouth, she stared in open-mouthed horror at the dark-haired youkai grappling the motionless figure with what looked like giant tentacles, his stark white hair hanging limply from the confines of tentacles being the only part of his body visible. Speechless, Kagome watched as the youkai lifted her husband higher into the air, a pointed tentacle rising over the dark youkai's crown as the tip took aim for the hanyou's head.

Snapping out of shock, Kagome realized just what he planned on doing. "Inuyasha!" she cried, hoping to whatever gods existed that he would hear her before it was too late. "Look out!"

* * *

"Inuyasha! Look out!"

Said hanyou raised his eyelids to half mast. "K'gome?" Amber pupils dilated upon perceiving the embodiment of his love clad in all white a distance away. His heart skipped a beat. Had he died? Was he hallucinating? His mind struggled to distinguish between what was real and what wasn't. '_No_. _It's not her. My Kagome is gone. The lack of oxygen to my brain is causing me to be delusional._' His ears drooped against his scalp, his eyes reverting to the overhanging tentacle poised to shatter his skull in a matter of seconds. '_I guess this really is the end,_' he mused wryly and readied himself for the impact that would ultimately end his life.

"Well, well, well. What do have here?" Naraku scowled at the girl who he had assumed had been taken care of by his associate. He gave a half-hearted sigh. "Now I know why they say good help is so hard to find. I suppose if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself." He threw the confused hanyou in his grasp a predatory smile. "It seems, Inuyasha, that your beloved mate isn't dead after all."

Varying levels of shock took hold of the hanyou, his mind disbelieving what his eyes were clearly perceiving. The dark, sable tint of his eyes lightened to their trademark bright amber coloration as their gazes met, a familiar fluttering sensation that he'd been without for hours in his stomach confirming what was real. '_It wasn't my imagination. She really is here._' Undiluted elation swept over the barren depths of his soul, rekindling his need to live, to love, all of the things he was willing to forfeit just so he could end an existence that had been devoid of her. He wanted to open his mouth and shout for joy, to run and gather her in his empty arms and kiss her until they were both her breathless. '_Kagome_.'

Inuyasha didn't have a second more to celebrate in the revelation as he saw the tentacle that had been directed toward his head shift in the direction of his mate. Panic squeezed the air from his lungs. He opened his mouth to tell her to get out of the way, but the words never came, the rawness of his dry throat in conjunction with the tentacle around his neck causing the words to become stuck within his esophagus. '_I can't lose her again!_'

Naraku yelled as he felt the jagged fangs of the desperate hanyou sink into and tear off the tentacle wrapped around his open neck. Snarling, Inuyasha yanked his right arm from the nest of tentacles that trapped his body and began to shred the black limbs with lengthened claws.

Kagome watched in morbid fascination at the bits and pieces of flesh that flew in every direction as Inuyasha hacked his way out of his temporary prison. In spite of the fact that he was adorned from head to toe in gore, her love for him was just as intense. '_It feels as though I haven't seen him in months when it's only been half a d-'_ She squealed as a chunk of flesh hit her in the face. "Eww Inuyasha, watch where you're slicing that those things!"

"Woman, I'm the one doing all the work to protect your ass so shut the fuck up so I can finish him off." Inuyasha hid a grin and did his best to control the urge to run over and sweep her into his arms. He jerked his head to the right to elude the swift strike aimed for his face. It felt good to have her back, her loud mouth and all. And when this was done and over with, the first thing he was going to do was whisk her away to paradise, never to return or be heard of again. With all of the tentacles destroyed, Inuyasha dived for the Tetsusaiga, grabbed the hilt and sprung to his feet with no small amount of pain.

Naraku chuckled as the hanyou prepared for round two. "Inuyasha, you're bleeding heavily from several areas on your body and still you challenge me."

Inuyasha glared at him, his face set in stony determination. "I will kill you Naraku, even if it means my death. So be it."

"Ah, so now you're singing a different tune now that your wench is alive when just two minutes ago you were ready to submit willingly to your fate. How fickle the minds of humans are," he sighed, his pale arm morphing into a massive tentacle. "I suppose I'll have to kill two birds with one stone, not that that's a problem with me. I haven't had this much exercise in a while." A sardonic smile stretched out over his face. "Say good-bye, hanyou."

Inuyasha lowered his blade horizontally to his waist, his muscles coiling as the tentacle extended with lightening fast velocity in his direction. Ready to carve the member into pieces like he did its predecessors, Inuyasha waited until the exact moment that it was upon him and swung downward with all of his might. "Shit!" He lifted the Tetsusaiga from the dirt, fear tying his organs together as the tentacle abruptly veered at the last minute en route for a wide-eyed Kagome.

Adrenalin pumping through his veins, Inuyasha sprinted as if hell were on his heels toward his mate, his wounds splitting wider as he hoisted the fang above his head and sliced the limb before it could make contact with her. Sheathing the fang once it had served its purpose, he scooped Kagome up in his arms and ran on.

"What the hell were you thinking coming here?" he chastised speeding across the development grounds to put as much distance between them and Naraku as possible.

Kagome stared at him disbelievingly. "Are you kidding me? I dragged my ass out of the hospital bed after having surgery not thirty minutes before to rescue you of all people and all you can say is what I was thinking coming out here? Talk about gratitude," she snorted and looked away.

"You should've stayed in bed. You should be in bed," he griped, leaping into the air to clear the barbed wire fence that surrounded the compound. "You were fucking shot-" Her stifled shout had him sliding to a halt. "What's wrong?" he asked, fear stripping his voice of its usual brusqueness.

Kagome shook her head, her lips pursed together in a thin line, the burning pull of the sutures brought on upon by his not so soft landing. "It's nothing," she waved as he set her down gently against the trunk of a nearby tree.

Frowning at the lie, he crouched down and ran a finger over the creases of her forehead. "If it were nothing your face wouldn't be contorted with pain," he commented softly.

Kagome raised her head to retort, but gasped. "Inuyasha!" She sat up, her stomach turning at his bloodied chest, unmindful of her own injury as she witnessed his multiple wounds for the first time. "Si…lay down now so I can take care of these."

"What?" he looked down at his torn shirt, a steady flow of blood oozing from most of his injuries, and shrugged. "They're just scratches; nothing serious."

"Nothing serious?" Kagome gaped at him indignantly. "I'm surprised you haven't passed out yet from blood loss. Now get down here and take off that shirt."

"Instead of sitting here tending to these little cuts, I need to get you back to the hospital before Naraku finds us and tries to finish what he started," Inuyasha argued standing to his feet, but paused when her hand caught his wrist.

"Inuyasha, I'm not going to anywhere until you've been properly cared for. So the sooner that you submit, the sooner we can leave." She stared at him stubbornly.

"We don't have time for this," he grumbled sitting next to her, but pulled the frayed top over his head and handed it to her. "Be quick about it."

Ripping what was left of his tattered shirt, she choked at his mess of a chest, cavernous punctures caked with half dried blood decorating his torso, narrow bruises and discolorations lining his side where the tentacles had left their mark. "Oh my God Inuyasha." She tore strips of his ragged shirt to use as makeshift bandages. "We have to get you to a hospital. I don't know how the hell you've survive up until this point, but I don't think your luck is going to hold out at the rate that you're pushing yourself." Her hands trembled as she pressed one against his wounds to defer the bleeding and single-handedly rolled the bandages tightly around his upper body with the other. "Gods Inuyasha, you need to stop being so reckless with your life. You're not invincible. Think of-" Supple fingers pressed against her lips, startling Kagome out of her soliloquy, her eyes connecting with the soft amber of her husbands'. Swatting his hand away, she glared at him. "Were you even listening to me?"

"Kagome." Her heart did somersaults within beneath her ribcage, the unsaid emotions packed into the soft utterance that was her name enough to wrench at her heartstrings. Ignoring his injuries, Inuyasha yanked his mate into his arms and buried his nose in her hair, the scent of jasmine making his senses reel in ecstasy, the feel of her body so surreal and yet so real. "You don't know how happy I am that you're alive."

Kagome wound her arms around his neck and snuggled against him, content to be back within the arms of her love, tears of joy beginning to prick the back of her eyeballs. "Inuyasha, I'm so sorry," her voice cracked with emotion as she loosened her hold on his neck to look him in the eyes. "I never meant to make you suffer. I can't even imagine what it must've been like for you, thinking that I was dead. Apparently one of the nurse-" His lips crashed down upon her own, the initial shock of that first contact knocking the air from her lungs.

Inuyasha hadn't been able to stop himself. With her mouth so temptingly close and her scent virtually driving him over the edge of sanity, he succumbed to the need to kiss her. His fingers ran down the flawless planes of her face, his body instinctively moving closer to hers. '_She is alive. She is alive. She is alive._' The mantra repeated over and over in his mind, his heart congested with so many emotions he was surprised it hadn't exploded yet. Inuyasha broke away before things were taken to the point of no return. "Promise me you won't ever leave me like that again," he murmured and absently brushed the pad of his thumb across her swollen lips.

Kagome reveled in his touch and stared up at him affectionately. "I promise." She leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "I love you."

"Keh. You'd better woman." His gruff tone belied the adoration shining back at her through his twin pools of gold and the light smile tipping his lips upward. The corners of his mouth suddenly jerked downward, his ears swiveling in the direction they had come from. "He's coming."

Apprehension seized hold of her. "Then let's go before he gets here."

"I'm not leaving without that bastard's head," Inuyasha spoke, his expression blank as he stood, his hand automatically reaching for the hilt of his sword.

"No Inuyasha." Wincing as she stumbled to her feet, Kagome took hold of his wrist, her eyes imploring. "Please, let's just leave this place. We can go to the police or our parents and tell them what we know and try and get Naraku convicted."

"So he can do what?" Inuyasha snapped heatedly. "I don't want him lounging in jail for what he's done. The bastard deserves to be mangled, dismembered, and butchered a thousand times over. What he did to us, to you, is unforgivable." He attempted to sidestep her small frame, but she jumped in front of his path.

"Get out of my way Kagome," he took her by the shoulders and forcibly moved her aside.

"Inuyasha, don't you see that we've been presented with yet another chance to be together, here, in this lifetime." She grabbed his calloused hands and held them close to her heart, earnestness etched into her features. "Don't throw it all away for something as petty as revenge. You have me back, isn't that enough?"

Inuyasha hesitated, unsure of what to do next. Torn between vengeance and the entreaty of his mate, he blew air from his mouth. He would like nothing more than to shove his Tetsusaiga right up Naraku's ass for all the trouble he'd caused them. He stared at the teary-eyed woman in front of him. His heart clenched. He had come so close to losing her, hell he had lost her for a time, and it had been the most painful experience he'd ever underwent in his life. He'd be damned if he'd lose her again. "I don't know why you're so adamant about this. It's not like I'd lose-"

"Please-"

"But," he interjected softly and wiped away a freefalling tear that streaked down her cheek with his thumb, "I will respect your wish since you almost died because of me and all. And you're right. You are all that I need, now and forever. Gods Kagome." His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her as close to him as possible without inciting pain. Inuyasha leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "You can't even fathom how relieved I am that you're alive. When they told me at the hospital that you hadn't made it, I felt a part of me die. And I was willing to do anything away just to be with you again, even if it meant throwing away my life."

"Is that why you gave up resistance to Naraku when I first arrived?" she inquired quietly already knowing the answer.

"Yes," he whispered and raised his head to connect their gazes. "And I'd do it again without hesitation or regret."

"Don't talk like that," she admonished weakly.

"It's the truth." His fingertips grazed the curve of her neck, marveling in the perfection of its silky texture, and smiled when she shivered in response. "When you get out of the hospital, I'm going to take you far away from here to a place where we can finally be together without our conniving parents or those annoying friends of yours interrupting our peace." Inuyasha gathered her hands, his expression sincere. "I promise that I will protect you at all costs from now on. Nothing will ever come between us again."

Kagome could've melted right then and there, his words stirring feelings deep within her core. Another tear leaked from her watery dams as he planted a tender kiss on her lips. "Thank you," she breathed against his mouth, her shoulders losing some of their tension, and smiled up at him.

"Keh, whatever," Inuyasha mumbled returning his usual, grumpy self, a light blush staining his cheeks. "Come on. Let's go before I change my…mind."

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome watched with growing alarm as his eyes widened, his hold on her hands tightening. She looked down at his chest with him to behold the tentacles jutting from his abdomen. Pilfered breath caught in her throat. "Inu-" She choked on the words as he shoved her to the ground none too gently. Ignoring the acute tug of her injury, Kagome parted her lips, but her lungs refused to produce a scream as her husband's body jerked with every limb that struck his body. Shaking uncontrollably with tears blinding all except the frozen mask of shock permanently molded to his face, she flinched as all six of the tentacles withdrew from his body and watched helplessly as he folded, his knees giving way from beneath him.

"Inuyasha!" Scrambling to get to his side before he was further harmed with the collision of the ground, Kagome reached out and caught his upper body in her arms. "Oh god." His entire torso was covered in blood from both new and old injuries. "I don't think I have enough clothes to make bandages for these," she half-laughed, half-cried, and struggled to tear a piece of her shirt with quaking hands. "Just hang on. We can make it. I'm sure that our parents will be here with the police at any moment. Damn it!" she cursed the material of the shirt. "Why won't this tear?"

"K-Ka-" A fresh stream of blood trickled from the corners of his mouth and down his chin. "K'gome. S…stop." He blindly groped for her hands as his vision began to darken.

"Inuyasha, be still." Searching for his hands from behind the walls of tears that clouded her eyes, she almost cried in relief when her fingers found his. "Stop moving ok? You'll make the bleeding worsen if you don't stay put." She used her sleeve to wipe the salty water from her eyes. "You can make it, I know you can."

"No…l..leave me," he croaked hoarsely, thick, red liquid quickly filling his lungs. "I…I.I..." he drew in a strangled breath. "I love you."

"Stop it Inuyasha! You're going to live!" She kissed him, paying no heed to the metallic tang of blood that tinged his lips. Blue eyes alit with hope. "I can use my miko powers. They helped me a couple of minutes ago. I can use them on you!"

The hanyou did his best to shake his head, grateful that the pain racking his body was beginning to ebb away into nothingness so that he could enjoy his last few moments with his mate. Amber hued eyes softened as she strained in vain to call forth her nonexistent powers. With the last remnants of his energy, he brought one of his hands to cup the side of her face and hoped that his eyes expressed all of the things he couldn't tell her.

Giving up hope on evoking her temperamental abilities, Kagome watched despairingly as her love's life slowly slipped away. There was nothing she could do. "I love you, Inuyasha," she whispered, tenderly brushing back his bangs to see his beautiful eyes. The love swimming within his molten pits quickly turned to fear. Kagome frowned as he struggled to sit erect, his lips moving but no words pouring forth.

"R-run!" he wheezed.

Her confusion dispersed as the hairs on the back of her next stood at attention, the ominous presence to her left only being one person. Sitting back up, she turned to warily stare at the dark haired youkai casually leaning against the tree, a half-smile on his face as he surveyed his handiwork. "It's not my best work, I'll admit, but then again, I haven't practiced with my extra appendages in a while." Naraku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "He was a rather persistent one, I'll give him that."

"You fucking asshole," Kagome spat viciously, her arms wrapping tighter around her hanyou, her eyes shooting daggers of ice at the reason for all of the mayhem.

Naraku pointed down to her lap, his smile broadening. "You might want to save the curses for later and say your last good-byes to your lover."

Her attention diverted, Kagome stared in terror as his breathing became more labored. "Inuyasha! Please don't leave me! You promised to protect and be there for me! Don't you dare go back on your word!"

"A hanyou's word is as good as his worth, and being that he isn't worth two cents, isn't much at all," Naraku mentioned offhandedly.

Rivers of tears gushed down Kagome's face. "Don't leave me Inuyasha."

"Give it up girl. He's as good as gone. And soon you will be too." He watched in sadistic enjoyment as her head lowered, her hands gently pushing the hanyou upper half from her lap. "Oh this is priceless. Not only did I get to witness the loss and suffering your husband had to endure with your death, but yours with his death as well." He laughed quietly to himself. "This has been one of the most entertaining nights I've had in a while, and for that, I must commend you." Naraku grinned as she slowly pushed herself off of the ground to stand up, her head still lowered. He altered his right arm into a tentacle for what would be the last time that night. "Send my regards to Inuyasha when you reach the afterlife, wench."

A sudden flare of power imparting from the girl caused his smile to wilt and disappeared completely as her energy spiked with an immensity that had his eyes narrowing. '_Where did this mere child get all of this power from? She couldn't be a miko_.' Deciding that it would be best if he rid himself of the potential problem before it became insurmountable, Naraku discharged the appendage from his arm and beheld the limb as it made a beeline for the glowing girl. Fear flicked across his face when she finally lifted her head, her abnormally bright blue eyes inducing a series of icy frissons to race up his spine and before he could draw back in his limb, it connected with an unseen barrier.

Kagome watched unsympathetically as the hanyou cried out, his tentacle being incinerated to ashes by the purification powers of the barrier. "You worthless, pathetic creature. You don't deserve to live," she spoke, fury underlying the monotonous tone of her voice, her hands balling by her sides. "So I'm going to send you to a place where you'll be quite at home. This is for Inuyasha and all of the people that you've killed and hurt over the centuries in your pursuit for power. May you rot in hell for all of eternity."

Massive waves of energy buffeted a shell-shocked Naraku and before he had a chance to defend himself against the blitz, blue streaks of purifying ki shot out from her radiating form and collided dead-on into his chest.

His screams of agony as his body was razed by the powerful streams of purifying energy fell on deaf ears, the source of the resplendent show of power continuing to cast her purifying torrents over the land, the outpouring sweeping over and dissolving the miasma saturated complex.

Groaning, Kagome crumpled to the ground completely depleted of strength and energy. Vaguely aware of the warm fluid seeping from the gauze lining the side of her stomach, her eyes listlessly settled on her husband, the rise and fall of his chest barely visible. '_Inuyasha_.' Her body, too exhausted to execute the simplest of endeavors, could produce no tears. Kagome gave a hollow cry, sobs locked deep within her chest refusing to be released. He lay a foot away, his silver-white tresses splayed carelessly across his blood-splattered chest, his facial features relaxing as he slipped into unconsciousness. She extended her arm to recover the limp, clawed hand that rested a breath's width away. She smiled wistfully as their fingers entwined. "Inuyasha, when I wake up, I'd better find you by my side," Kagome whispered before the heaviness of her lids forced her to close her eyes as her mind surrendered to the heavy folds of darkness that pressed upon it.

End.

* * *

_Told you it would be angsty. :equips self with armored shield and helmet: But fret thyself not, for there will be one more chapter. Sad, but true. If all goes well, it will be out in a couple of weeks. Until then people. Ciao._

_Jade C._


	26. The Beginning

**Disclaimer**: I haven't owned for the past twenty-five chapters, don't own this either.

* * *

The Beginning

* * *

"**_In other news, it's been a week since the police were notified of the disturbance that wrought an upheaval that extended to all of Japan's coasts. What started out as a routine homicide investigation when the incinerated remains of Yamamoto Naraku were found on the grounds of his compound gave rise to a situation much more complicated. Although the only solid leads to the perpetrator are strands of white hair, faint traces of miko energy, and a blood stained strip of clothing, investigators have found a number of motives from questionable and illegal activities upon searching the premise. _**

**_Not only did the police find evidence of extortion, racketeering, the siphoning of funds from charities, and income tax evasion, but countless material witnesses have surfaced who can attest to a number of felonies and covered up homicides that up until now have remained mysteries. One of the more serious offenses involves stolen prototypes from the recently merged Higurashi-Takeda Corp. where one of Yamamoto's employees, who chose to remain anonymous, was framed in an effort to topple the corporate empire. Officials are administering the redistribution of the stolen products back to their company, in addition to the products of several other businesses who were also victims of fraud._**

**_Investigators are in the process of considering an offer in the form of a substantial amount of money to those responsible for the termination of Yamamoto. If you have any knowledge as to the whereabouts of the persons responsible, please contact your local police department. We recently interviewed Takeda Inutaisho for his thoughts on-"_**

"Damn it Megumi," Inutaisho glowered at his mate's back as she switched off the large, flat-screen television hanging on the wall of the empty conference room, "they were getting to the best part."

She didn't answer, her stiff back remaining to his face, her shoulders hunching forward with an invisible burden. All joviality and attempts at normalcy leaving with a sigh, the taiyoukai rose from the recliner and went to the small woman. "Megumi," Inutaisho spoke softly into her ear and wrapped strong arms around her tiny waist, "stop worrying. Everything will turn out for the best, that I can assure you."

Megumi twisted out of his loose hold and whipped around so fast her hair slapped his face in the process. The righteous anger burning in her brown depths quelled the mental string of curses before they could spill from his mouth. "Everything is not alright! And I for one refuse to carry on with this ridiculous charade!"

Wincing, Inutaisho rubbed the tender spot on his face where her hair had lashed him. "Sweetheart-"

"Don't sweetheart me." She began pacing, her forehead creasing with worry lines as the circles under her eyes became more prominent. "I don't care about the investigation or about this stupid company anymore." Her tone held a note of misery. "I just want them back."

He could smell the salt of forthcoming tears before they welled in her eyes. "Megumi," his voice full of compassion and equal despondency, Inutaisho took his mate by the arm and turned her to face him. "They are just lying low until things calm down around here. After all," his lips quirked into a wry smile, "murder is a capitol felony. And they probably don't know of the reward that the police are offering. Give them a few more days and I'm sure they'll come out of hiding."

Megumi looked at him unimpressed. "If you think that provides me with any consolation, you're sadly mistaken," she said flatly, but regretted her words when she saw the rare appearance of hurt flicker in his golden depths. "I'm sorry love," she sighed and cupped the side of his face with an open palm. "I've been out of my mind with worry for the past week. I've been trying to keep a positive outlook, but it's not easy when there hasn't been any type of indication that they're alive."

"They haven't found their bodies," he offered.

She withdrew her hand frowning. "That's not the point. Don't you think if they were alive they'd at least give us a sign that they're all right?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps they're still recovering from injuries they've received while going head to head with Naraku and don't have the energy to do so."

"Forgive me if I don't possess your uncanny flair for optimism, but I prefer to stick to the facts." Megumi closed her eyes and brought a hand to her heart, the burden weighing down the organ gradually increasing with the passing of each day. It hurt to the point of physical pain that she was part of the reason the children were missing, that if it hadn't been for their greed and selfishness for wanting to stay on top at any cost, her son and daughter-in-law would still be alive. If only there were a way to turn back the hands of time.

"I suppose we should start preparing for funeral arrangements," she said hoarsely, her voice strained and eyes tired as she sank into a chair.

"That's it, I've had just about enough of your pessimistic shit!" Megumi jumped at Inutaisho's sudden, angry proclamation, the almost feral glint of his darkened, tawny colored eyes making her reflexively press further into the chair. "Do you have so little faith in our son that you would write him off as dead before even considering the possibility that he might be alive somewhere? You should be praying for his safety and his ability to care for his mate instead of arranging a funeral!"

Megumi's last thread of patience snapped. "Forgive me for not wanting to divulge in one of your half-baked theories!" she yelled jumping out of the seat in her defense. "You say to hope and pray for the best today, then you'll say again tomorrow, and the day after and so on and so forth. I can't do that Taisho. My heart won't be able to take holding on forever and you know it!"

The veins in his neck bulged and throbbed angrily. "Damnit Megumi! I'm not asking for the rest of your life, I'm asking you to wait at least a month until you pronounce them dead. You can't even wait a fucking week!" His fists balling on either side, Inutaisho took in a deep lungful of air and forced himself to calm down. "What are you so afraid of?" he asked quietly when he finally regained his composure, golden eyes cool and calculated as he regarded her.

Megumi jaw tensed. "I only fear for their safety and well-being." She refrained from flinching as he appeared in front of her faster than the blink of an eye.

"Bulllshit. There's more to it than that." The harsh planes of his face softening, Inutaisho grabbed her chin and gently tilted her face upwards, her frightened, doe brown eyes confirming his beliefs. "Talk to me," he murmured stroking her cheek with his thumb.

Megumi felt the riotous emotions racing beneath her skin pacify at his soothing touch. "Oh Taisho," she sighed leaning into his hand, "I don't know what to do, to think. I want to believe that they're alive, that they're recuperating, but…" She pushed the tight lump attached to the inner walls of her throat down and fought the salty liquid flooding her vision. "I'm afraid that even if they did survive, they'll never speak to us again. Look at what we did to them." Megumi thrust a shaky hand through her hair and blinked back the tears that had begun streaming down her face. "We ignored their wants and placed them in a position where they had no choice but to comply with our demands. We put their lives in jeopardy, their dreams on hold, and practically forced them on each other. Maybe this is why they choose not to contact us. They're not afraid of being caught by the police, but want nothing more to do with us."

"Stop it," he scolded her lightly but evenly, "we helped them rediscover a love that was thought to have been lost a long time ago. Even if we brought them together for all the wrong reasons, in the end, they were happy and in love. That's all that matters. And I'm sure that when, not if, they come back, all will be forgiven and we will start anew. They aren't the type to hold grudges, you know this."

"One can only hope," Megumi murmured faintly winding her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug. "What would I do without you?"

He buried himself in her warmth and basked in her soft scent. "I don't know," he replied for once choosing not to respond with cynicism because in truth, he really didn't know what he would do with her and vice versa. His corner of his mouth started to curl but stopped short of a full smile when a whiff of salt coming their way drifted into his nose.

Noticing the diversion of his attention, she lifted her head to look up at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Inutaisho didn't have time to answer as Hitomi threw open the double redwood doors, her face swollen and streaked with free running mascara. Megumi stomach dropped at the sight of her normally immaculate partner. She doubled over and if Inutaisho hadn't been holding her in his arms she would've collapsed to the floor. "They're dead aren't they?" she whispered, the pain in her heart near breaking point.

Too overcome with emotion to put her feelings into coherent sentences, Hitomi lifted a crumpled paper in her hand.

His heart racing, Inutaisho set his afflicted mate in one of the chairs and went to a shell shocked Hitomi whose mouth was moving but no words coming out. He gently pried the crinkled paper, or rather card, from her death grip and skimmed its contents. The color drained from his face. "Fuck me."

* * *

It seemed as though every reservoir within the heavens had been deposited upon them within the short span of five days. The dark, overcast clouds forced the sun to remain hidden behind the obscurity, waiting impatiently for a chance to shine again. A weighty sigh escaped Ayame's parted lips, lackluster emerald eyes following the many rivulets of water teeming in branches down the pane. The gloomy atmosphere had not only extended to the farthest reaches of the horizon, but also to the hearts and minds of everyone in the house. What had once been a sanctuary for the light-hearted, albeit occasionally rowdy, group of friends, had turned into a bleak prison of misery, its halls filled with memories of good times and serving as a blatant reminder of that which would never be again.

Vaguely noticing the lack of feeling in her legs, the wolf girl numbly pulled her legs from the cross-legged position on the suede couch and dropped them over the side. It had been seven days, twelve hours, and twenty two minutes since the fateful visit of two uniformed officers with news that would break the spirits of all living in the mansion. It had been a week and yet Ayame still couldn't come to terms with what had happened. A part of her mind believed that this was all some kind of elaborate hoax; that any minute her best friend would jump from behind her and ask if she had sensed her, like when they were children.

A wry, bitter half-smile quirked at the corner's of her mouth. Kagome had always been fascinated at the exceptional hearing of youkai, even as a child. Yeas ago when innocence was plentiful and corruption unheard of, hide and seek used to be their favorite pastime. Of course, whenever Ayame was 'it,' the game never lasted more than a few minutes, for all she had to do was sniff out the whereabouts of her friends and end the game at any given time. But then there were those few occasions when Kagome had confused her by planting decoys, such as shirts and shoes, in odd places and lightly spraying herself with another scent to throw her off, the little cheat.

A strangled chuckle rumbled in the back of Ayame's throat at her friend's cleverness, but the light in her eyes died as quickly as it sparked. '_Kagome. It's bad enough I have to live out my extended lifetime without you or Sango because of your human blood, but I never counted on you leaving so soon._' More water streamed down the window pain, blurring out the depressing scenery outside entirely. '_I'd give anything to have you back. I'd even tolerate the presence of that stupid hanyou of yours. Gods, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd actually miss that idiot._' She laughed, the harsh, bark-like sound lacking in joviality, but sobered quickly. '_Inuyasha, Kagome._'

Ayame jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder, and looked up to connect gazes with cobalt-colored eyes. Kouga withdrew his hand from her shoulder and presented her with a handkerchief. Confused by the gesture, she lifted a tentative hand to her cheeks and was moderately surprised when wet skin met her fingertips. Funny, she hadn't even noticed she'd been crying. "Thanks," she said taking the cloth from his open palm and offered him a watery smile in return.

He remained silent as she wiped her face of tears new and fresh. When finished with the task, Ayame handed him back the damp cloth, her head turning to stare listlessly out of the window.

"Keep it." Ayame blinked as she felt the couch sink slightly with the added weight of the other youkai. Ignoring the familiar outpouring of butterflies within her stomach, she oddly felt no inclination to make conversation with her longtime crush. '_It's so strange. A couple of weeks ago I would've felt ecstatic at the object of Kouga's attention_.' But Kouga would live as long as she did, if not more. She had a lifetime to get to know him. Her jaw clenched. If only she could have that time with all of her friends. Why did fate have to be so cruel? Did taking away the lives of mortals appease the higher beings dwelling in their safe-havens in the heavens? Was this all some kind of game, to do away with people who were only pawns in something bigger than the rest of them?

"I'm leaving."

Ayame continued to stare out of the window and didn't give any physical indicator that she had heard him. But inwardly was another thing. His words, ringing incessantly in her mind, left her hollow and empty. "For good?" she asked, concentrating on keeping her voice neutrally steady.

"Yeah." The answer reaffirmed his earlier remark.

She bit her lip and braced herself against the flood of emotion beating down upon her in a manner none too gentle. She had just lost two of her best friends and now another one was walking out of her life. It was almost too much to bear under the circumstances. "Why?" The lone question hovered in the air separating them and was followed by a silence that was so thick it seemed palpable.

The downpour outside continued to rage on, pellets of rain smashing against the house with a fury like no other.

"It's just time for me to go." His voice was rough and heavy with undercurrents of sentiments that would never be voiced aloud. "There's no point in staying here now that…"

The lump in Ayame's throat swelled and tightened. He didn't need to finish. She already knew what he was going to say. He wasn't going to stay; not for her anyway. More tears spilled down her cheeks with the realization, but were quickly wiped away with the handkerchief. After making sure her face was free from wetness, she halfheartedly turned to look at him, her heart clenching painfully at the broken youkai by her side. Gone was the wolf she had fallen for. With a face looking as though it hadn't seen a razor in weeks, dark bags hanging beneath muted cobalt-colored eyes, and hair strewn in a messy, low ponytail, he was a shell of the youkai he used to be. Stripped of his pride and arrogance, Kouga looked as vulnerable and lost as a newborn pup.

And that was what spurred a reaction that not even she was aware of until she found herself buried in his chest, her arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him closer. There was nothing sexual about the embrace and she paid no heed to the fact that this was the closest she was ever going to get to him. They were simply friends comforting each other in their grief.

Her breathing hitched when she felt arms snake around her waist and his face burrow itself in her neck. The security and warmth of the embrace kept them in one another's arms for a couple of minutes. Sighing, Ayame reluctantly withdrew from the hug first before it became too hard to let go and sat back dejectedly against the tan and red striped cushion, her gaze downcast. "I wish you well on your journey," she said quietly.

"Ayame…I want you to come with me."

She froze, her ears hearing but mind unbelieving. "W-hat?"

A strong, calloused hand grasped her chin and forcibly directed her attention back to him. "I want you to come with me," he repeated. "I know we haven't been on the best of terms as of late and I want to spend this time getting to know you. I'm not guaranteeing that we'll become a couple, but if that should happen," lips broadened to a grim smile, eyes sparkling with dulled mischief, "I would be more than honored to be yours."

"R-really?" she choked out, "because if you're playing with my emotions, which I really don't appreciated in light of the recent, horrific events, I won't be too kind with my retribution-" A clawed finger silenced the long-winded tangent.

"I'm one hundred percent serious," he said quietly, cobalt eyes speaking the truth. "So will you come with me?"

A nod was all Ayame could provide him seeing as though her ability to speak was somehow hindered by the thousands of jubilant emotions raging through her being. But her happiness was short-lived, the reverberations of a feminine scream bouncing off the walls. Wasting not a second more, both wolf youkai shot out of their seats and raced to the foyer. Literally taking seconds to arrive at their destination, both stopped in their tracks, apprehension and fear scrawled on their faces at the sight that unfolding before them.

Sango, who had up until now been their pillar of strength in the midst of despair, who had kept their hopes barely above the surface of the darkness that each wanted to succumb to, who had made it her duty to take care of their every need, had fallen. Panic flared within Ayame's chest as she watched the warrior woman fling herself into the arms of a tear-streaked Miroku, a crumpled paper in hand.

"Oh god," the female wolf gasped clasping her hands to her mouth, her head shaking in denial, "it's about them isn't it?"

Either not hearing her whispered words or too busy consoling his girlfriend, the monk dropped the card and used the recently freed hand to cup her face, leaving the paper out in the open for all to see.

With an eerie calmness, Kouga stooped down and picked it up. Her ears twitching at his sharp intake of air, Ayame leaned over his shoulder.

* * *

Ryo stared at the wrinkled post card in his hands. Two puppies sat facing each other in the middle of Time Square with heads cocked towards each other, completely oblivious to the hustle and bustle of the crowded city and having eyes only for one another. There was nothing written on the back and no return address, but it was a clue, the first and only. And that was all he needed.

"All right people. I need results and I need them now!" He slammed his palm on the table for emphasis, the resounding crash doing nothing to impinge upon the focused people working hard to track down the origins of the postcard. It wouldn't be long now. Finding two teenagers amongst the millions of people living in the five boroughs would be a difficult feat for the average man. But Higurashi Ryo was not your average man. With endless connections spanning all over the globe, high profile detectives already working on the case, and a superior staff networking their way to the answer, it was only a matter of time before they found them.

"I just can't believe it," Hitomi smiled beside her husband and dabbed at her eyes with a Kleenex. "They're alive."

"And it won't be long until their location is found." Ryo abandoned the chaotic scene of room in favor of his wife. "Didn't I tell you that they would be ok, that they would give us a sign?" he asked, twirling a strand of her black locks between his forefinger and thumb.

Tired eyes that hadn't had a full night's sleep in a week stared back at him, relief evident within their depths. "I suppose you were right…for once."

"We've got them!" a man with sleeves rolled to his forearms yelled with a goofy grin. "The postcard was deposited in the lobby of the Embassy Suites in Manhattan off of North End Ave. We've also got confirmed sighting of five eye witnesses who saw them around the hotel."

Hitomi watched as her husband raced to the man and snatched a piece of paper from his hand. "Well I'll be damned. Good work people. Kanzaki, inform the Takedas that we've found the kids and prepare the jet immediately. Everyone else, you're all dismissed for the remainder of the week."

Grin broadening at the volume of cheers from the overworked employees, Ryo jogged over to his less than enthusiastic wife and grabbed her hand excitedly. "Let us be off then, dear."

She shrugged out of his hold. "No Ryo, we will not be off," she told him calmly.

He faltered in his step. "Come again?"

Eyes sharpening, she boldly stepped to him and crossed her arms. "We will not be going."

"And why the hell not?" he rejoined with steadily rising annoyance. "Isn't this what you wanted? To see your daughter again and hold her in your arms?"

"Yes. But for the time being, knowing that she is safe and alive with her husband will do for now considering the stress and trauma that we've put them through over the course of the summer. And-" she cut him off before he could begin again, "we will leave them alone for the time being given that they haven't had a decent honeymoon yet. And, if you or Inutaisho so much as step foot in that country, I, along with Megumi, will make it our duty to make sure you both sleep outside for the next several months. Now is that understood?" Her voice was hard and left no room for argument.

Conceding to his wife's wishes, the man hung his head in defeat. "Yes Hitomi."

"Good." She turned and walked toward the exit. "Now come along, there's work to be done."

* * *

Sango waved as the Mustang carrying two of her beloved friends sped down the driveway and onto the main road before driving out of sight. "It was a long time in coming, but they're finally together," she admitted grinning to her companion.

"Ah yes, I must concur. But I can't help but wonder the things that shall transpire now that we've got this grand estate to ourselves." Miroku waggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing a healthy glow to spill upon the cheeks of his beloved.

"Really, is sex all you think about you lecherous monk," she turned up her nose away from him in mock objection.

"That amongst other things." In one swift movement, Miroku wound his arms around the object of his affection and strategically inserted his hands into the back of her jean pockets. "Would you like a brief demonstration of what is to come, my sweet?" he cooed next to her ear.

Sango placed her hands on his chest and what was meant to keep him at arm's length soon became a leverage against the myriad of heady emotions causing her breath to hitch as he placed soft kissed along her jaw line. An ill-concealed outburst of giggles momentarily pierced the happy fog that had invaded her head. Glancing down, she caught Shippou making smooching faces at them.

Unfazed by the sudden appearance of the child, Miroku continued with his ministrations and even went so far as to tweak her breast for good measure. "Houshi-sama!" Sango simultaneously slapped his cheek and managed to squirm out of his constrictive hold. "Not in front of Shippou," she hissed.

"Yeah, not in front of me, lech," the kitsune taunted dancing around the older man. "I'm very impressionable at this age ya know."

Ignoring the handprint burning a hole in his face, Miroku pinned the kit with an icy glare. "Indeed," he said tightly. "Why don't you run along then. We wouldn't want your questionable innocence to be tainted by our actions."

Shippou gulped and shrunk back at the promise of death glinting within the monk's violet depths. "Eh, I'm going to uh, draw Kagome some more pictures." He pursed his lips wistfully, briefly forgetting the man's warning. "Do you think she and Inuyasha will be home soon?"

Sango bent down and ruffled the child's hair. "I'm positive. They'll be back before you know it."

Shippou beamed. "Okay. And then when they get back, we can be one big family, right?"

Her eyes softened. "Right. Now go and play with Kirara. Kaede will be serving dinner in a few so try not to get too dirty."

"Okay." She smiled as the kitsune bounded up the stairs that led back into the mansion.

"You're going to make a wonderful mother someday," Miroku admitted drawing her into a loose hug and reinserting his hands into the comfy confines of her back pockets.

Sango eyed him warily. "I hope you're not proposing having kids any time soon."

"Of course not," he answered with pseudo dismay. "I figured we were at least going to wait a year or two until conceiving the first child. I haven't really thought about when the other five will come into play, but I was thinking somewhere between three or four years-"

"Wait a minute," she began removing all of his components from her body, "if you think that I'm going to sit back and start popping out babies while you're away doing god-knows-what, you're sadly mistaken. I happen to enjoy my lifestyle as it is now and I don't want it or my freedom to be cut short because you want to have kids early on in life. But if that's something you really want to do then maybe," her chest heaved with an invisible burden, her eyes averting to escape his penetrating gaze, "maybe I'm not the right woman for you."

"Oh Sango," Miroku sighed and tucking a stray brown hair behind her ear, "haven't you realized by now that you're the only one for me. Always have been, always will be."

She opened her mouth, but the bothersome presence of something pressing against her left butt cheek threw her off. At first she pegged it to be one of the monk's wandering hands, but that was immediately ruled out upon seeing that both his hands were behind his back, his oddly blank expression all the more baffling. Frowning, she slid a hand into the tight space of her pocket, her heart all but stopping when her fingers enclosed around a circular object.

Apprehension blooming, Sango removed the item. The muscles holding her jaw in place went lax, allowing the air that had been forced up with the failure of her lungs to pass by unobstructed. So distracted was Sango that she failed to notice the man on one knee in front of her until he took her hand, ending her stint of paralysis.

"Sango, I know I've been a complete jerk to you for many a year and that I've hurt you beyond comparison with my foolish antics and ah, less than admirable tendencies," he began, earnest eyes filled with love and hint of nervousness, "but you'd make me the happiest man on earth if you would give me this one chance to prove that I'm worthy of being your husband and I promise that I will treat you with all the dignity and respect that you deserve, and so much more."

Tears poured in branching streams from her eyes, welling emotion clinching the walls of her throat. Sango tried to squeeze out her answer but it ended up coming out as a squeak and since speaking wasn't a viable possibility at this point, she settled for nodding. Letting out breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, Miroku's grin spanned from ear to ear and when he jumped up and swept his speechless fiancée in his arms.

"Thank you Sango, for making me the happiest man alive," he breathed into her hair and closed his eyes to hold back the torrent of jubilance that had him wanting to scream to the world that this woman had chosen him for now and ever. "I won't let you down."

"I know," she smiled into his shoulder, her lungs filling with his woodsy scent.

"Now," he pulled back to look into the brown eyes that he'd fallen in love with, a roguish smirk accentuating his handsome features, "about those babies…"

* * *

Shafts of light filtered through the sheer, golden curtains. The glowing emissions splayed playfully along the posh settings, stressing the rich reds and golds of the exclusive quarters by adding a spirited appeal. Skirting the lavish furniture and various articles of clothing strewn haphazardly on the carpeted floor, stray beams found a different target.

Two figures shifted beneath crème-colored silk sheets, one snuggling deeper into the warmth of her companion, the other wincing as a sunbeam burned holes through his eyelids mercilessly. Growling at the sudden invasion, Inuyasha cracked his eyes and winced again as the light hit his retinas directly. '_Fuck. I knew I should've drawn the shades last night._' He moved, ready roll out of bed and yank them shut so he could get more shut eye, when he noticed a soft, warm weight pressed against his body.

Full lips drew into a gentle smile at the angel sleeping half-sprawled on top of him with one arm casually draped over his waist and her face partially buried within his chest, a thin trail of drool trickling down her chin. Inuyasha chuckled before carefully brushing the saliva away with the pad of his thumb.

"Inu…yasha," she murmured faintly in her sleep.

The hanyou's heart tripped over itself, his name on her lips causing something primitive to stir within him, and for once, it wasn't his loins. There wasn't a word to describe how he felt for her. It ran deeper than any ocean, overshot the heavens on a bad day, and was so overpowering, so consuming that he feared that there would be no way to disentangle himself from the convoluted mesh that bound him completely and exclusively to this small, slip of a woman. But then again, he wouldn't have it any other way.

His mouth grew dry as he beheld the beautiful goddess. A shock of obsidian waves that intermingled with his own silver tresses veiled the top portion of their bodies. With skin as soft and warm as the silk sheets they lay between and subtle curves that would drive men and youkai alike crazy with want (he let out a low growl at that), her beauty knew no bounds. No girl or woman he had come across during the course of his lifetime could hold a torch to her. She was everything to him. And there wasn't anything he wasn't willing to do to make her happy and safe.

The extent of his love for her far surpassed everything, everyone he'd come to know during his few decades of existing. It had dawned on him when he'd been at the mercy of Naraku that life wasn't worth living if she wasn't by his side. The pain of that particular loss was a feeling he didn't wish to revisit anytime in the near or distant future. It had been a miracle that they had been able to get away more or less unscathed. He had no idea how she had been able to invoke her miko powers, use them to eradicate the vile hanyou, and then heal him of his own injuries. There definitely had been higher forces at work, their only price being her state of unconsciousness for five days straight, a small sacrifice to pay for being granted a second chance at love.

Inuyasha gently pushed back the curtain of ebony hair, a smile gracing his cupid bow lips as he ran a finger down the sweep of her neck only to stop when coming to the symbol of his eternal love for her. The blue crescent moon stood out in a bright contrast to her ivory coloring. She was finally his and his alone. It had taken them years of fighting and heart-wrenching pain to overcome the obstacles that impeded their union, but in the end it had been worth it. Because in the end, he had gotten what he'd wanted, what he craved, what he ached for. And she would be his forevermore.

"Inuyasha?" Heavy lids raised to half-mast, revealing hazy blue arcs.

Said hanyou felt the air knocked from his lungs like he'd been punched in the gut. '_Gods, she's beautiful._'

Although she was only semi-conscious, Kagome could feel her pulse quickening at the multitude of inexpressible emotions reflected through the golden windows to his soul. A blush inched its way up from her neck to settle on her cheeks at his quiet intensity. Was this always how he was going to be after they made love? Indolence flying out the window with the mental admission, her eyes snapped open, memories of what had transpired the night before inviting a flood of heat to swallow her face.

The hanyou cocked a silver brow at his red-faced mate and smirked at her embarrassment. "Were my love making skills not up to par?" he teased jabbing her shoulder.

Suppressing the inclination to burrow beneath the covers to escape her mortification, Kagome stuck it out and glared at him, the spark of amusement in her eyes undermining the gesture. "Not at all," she sniffed indignantly, "one would've thought with your flings with half the female population you would have had at least gained considerable experience. I was sorely disappointed in last night's borderline catastrophe."

"You wound me, my lady." He grimaced and placed a hand over his chest. "Have you no mercy for this humble hanyou, whose only desire in life is to please your person?"

"My person would be better off not having to fake orgasms to boost your self-esteem."

His rich, throaty laughter met her comment, causing Kagome to smile. It was such a rarity to hear such a carefree laugh, his usual gruff front thwarting his ability to cut loose sometimes. Sighing contentedly, she used her finger to inscribe small, imaginary circles around his nipple and smothered a giggle as his pectoral muscles jumped in response. "So do you think everybody got the postcards yet?"

"Umm," Inuyasha trailed off and desperately tried to focus on the question at hand instead of what her finger was doing to him down below, "yeah. I did the…uh…overnight express thing so they should've gotten it this morning."

"Do you think our parents are on their way?" she inquired innocently and passing slowly over the nipple itself.

His mind went blank as every muscle in his body tightened. Did she know what she was doing to him? Amber eyes narrowed suspiciously when he felt her form discreetly quaking. "Oi wench." Reversing their positions with the grace of a feline, Inuyasha easily slid from beneath her and rolled on all fours above her tiny frame, his suspicions confirmed as he caught her unsuccessfully curbing her laughter. "You're a slick bitch, you know that?" he growled playfully nuzzling her ear.

Giggling and blushing as his tongue flicked out and caressed the ridge of her ear, Kagome locked arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

He dragged his fangs lightly down the expanse of her neck, each nip begetting a ripple of pleasurable shockwaves that were sent from head to toe. "Inuyasha," she breathed, reflexively holding him tighter against her.

The scent of her arousal, the taste of her skin, still sweet with sweat from their last joining nearly sent him over the brink. Groaning, Inuyasha moved down to pay homage to her full breasts. "Ready for round three babe?" he murmured taking one of her taut nipples with his mouth while nudging her legs apart with his knee.

She hissed in pain with the action, a dull ache that had yet to peter out overnight oscillating throughout her lower regions. Inuyasha jumped off of her like she was on fire, his face weighted with worry and fear that he had hurt her. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just a little sore, that's all."

"Are you sure?" Concern creased the lines of his forehead as he tentatively ran a hand over the lower expanse of her pelvis.

Reflexively flushing with the intimate contact, Kagome raised her arms to smooth out the weariness from his face. "Inuyasha, give me an hour in the hot tub and I'll be as good as new," she said softly.

He immediately relaxed and settled down on his left side so that he was facing her. "You're more trouble than you're worth bitch," he groused tugging a strand of her hair.

"I could say the same for you, asshole," she shot back sticking out her tongue.

Inuyasha leaned over, his face painfully close to her own. "You know you wouldn't have me any other way," he whispered in a soft, husky tone that had tiny shivers raising the hairs on her body and her lips aching for a kiss that was long overdue.

A familiar warmth pooling in her stomach, Kagome stared into the smoldering pools of passion that stole the very air from her lungs, knowing in her heart, body, mind, and soul that this was the man she was destined to be with for all of eternity. "I love you Inuyasha."

Her heartfelt words yanking at his heartstrings and causing his body to go awry with desire, Inuyasha gathered her in his arms and pulled her as close to him as physically possible without causing her pain. "I love you Kagome," he spoke in a voice thick with emotion. Delaying the inevitable no longer, he pressed his mouth against hers in a kiss that was both chaste and subtly overwhelming. And after several elongated minutes had passed them by when breath was sparse and eyes laden with feelings indescribable, they knew that nothing would come between them ever again as long as they should live.

**THE END**

* * *

**AN**: And there it is, the final chapter of this shit story that you all seemed to be so enamored with. It even won 2nd place in the Inuyasha Fanfiction Guild. Kudos to me for writing and kudos to you all for reviewing and loving this story. Thanks so much to everyone that gave me the motivation and encouragement to go on, especially those have been with me since day one, i.e. **iNiGmA**, **Hououza**, **Cattykit**, to name a few . An even bigger thanks to **_Kimmie_** and **_FrameofMind_** for editing my crap, because heaven knows I had my rough days.

No there won't be a sequel because this is perfect as is. Thank you all so much for making this fic a huge success and if I wasn't so busy I would personally thank you all for all of your support. Lots of love and kisses as I bid this story adieu.


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